Harry Potter and the Will of the Initiative
by NiftyNiflerNexorsist
Summary: Harry enters his sixth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His whole life takes a turn for the worst at the beggining of the new term when he starts school again. With the use of his Initiative and friends he faces the new challenges
1. Awakening Depression

**Harry Potter & Will of the Initiative**

**Chapter 1 – Awakening from Depression**

Skinny, Pale, Weak, Tired, Nauseous, Scared, Depressed and Troubled... That would be an understatement for the state of "The Boy who Lived", at that moment. In every persons life there comes a time when emotions such as, fear, angst, guilt and hatred penetrates the wall of resistance in our mind, when that time comes... well, you have to choose your own path between living in the past and the present. An anonymous person once said "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger". If the boy in the bed actually discovers this, it is yet to be seen...

Clothes, books, quills, parchment, ink, darkness, food and owl droppings, that was the state of the boys room as he awoke at dawn with a start.

Breathing heavily, Harry Potter reached for his dirty glasses and placed them on the bridge of his nose as he tried to banish his latest nightmare from his memory. _Why did you have to DIE! ? Why was I so heroic and ignorant to fall for _His_ mental visions?_ Always the damn questions. _Why did I not listen to Hermione? _Quit it with the questions already. _He must be alive... He's just behind the veil... He wouldn't just abandon me? Would He? _Pull yourself together Potter-

"Boy! GET DOWN HERE, NOW!" Uncle Vernon bellowed from the kitchen. Harry sighed as he ruffled his hair and got out of bed. _I still have to let the order know I'm okay._

"NOW POTTER!" Uncle Vernon repeated,

"Alright, Alright I'm coming!" Harry retaliated. _Emotionless Git. _Harry straightened his t-shirt and slumped down the stairs, made his way to the kitchen, drooped into his chair, glanced at his egg, poked it with his fork, got up and walked toward the door when his Uncle stopped him.

"Sit back down and eat your food you, ungrateful, worthless freak! You will sit here till every scrap is devoured." Harry sat back down, ate his egg, gave his uncle a loathing glance, stood up and made his way upstairs.

Deciding that he should probably write the letter to the order before they showed up, he made his way through the destruction zone of his room and plumped down at his desk, grabbed his leftover ink and quill from the floor next to his desk and started to write.

To whom it may concern.  
Just to make sure that everyone does know, I am alright and getting along well with the Dursleys.

_I miss everyone a lot._

_Harry._

He called Hedwig over. She hooted happily and perched herself on his shoulder, sticking out her leg in anticipation to get out of the depressing mood of Harry's room. He folded the letter, sealed it and attached it to Hedwig's leg. Harry told her the destination; she hesitated for a moment, nipped his ear and took flight through his bedroom window.

Harry pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. _Why did it have to be me? Why not Neville?_ NO, Would you put this burden on someone else? _No. _Well?

He got up and laid down on his bed. _Think of your friends and all those who care for you! _Yes that is the best option you have right now. With that thought, fatigue kicked in and he slept. He slept the depression away. He slept for the unfairness of the world. He slept for Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the D.A. He slept till his mind could no longer take the concept of sleeping. Once he opened his eyes he felt new, he felt that he was newly born; he felt the drive, the Will for life, the purpose.

He got up, scanned the room, _disgusting_ he thought. _I really should clean this mess up._ He decided on taking a shower first before attempting to rectify the mess. He scrambled around on his dishevelled floor for his towel. When he eventually discovered it after three minutes of "hide and seek" he remembered when last he actually used it, at that thought he took one sniff of himself and bolted for the shower. He turned and tweaked the taps to the right temperature, climbed under the gentle spray produced by the shower and closed his eyes as the water made it's way into his hair and trickled gently down his neck and body, Harry suddenly very aware and sensitive to the heat created by the water.

Whilst standing still with his eye's closed, Harry starting contemplating the different things that he wished to do that summer and what consequences it could have. He thought for what seemed to be hours, about the prophecy and what it contained. With that adding to his new, yet small, pile of confidence, he curled his fingers around the taps and twisted them closed simultaneously. Took a deep breath, slid into his bathrobe and made his way down the hall towards his room.

When he entered his room, he was actually shocked by the mess he had made of it. He tripped and stumbled as he moved towards the last pair of clean clothes he had left in his trunk. He pulled the passed-down rags of Dudley on and quickly formulated a plan as to how he was going to sort everything out.

After a couple of hours he managed to get everything packed and stacked neatly in different area's of his tiny room and glanced around just before he stepped out into the hall to deposit the last of his dirty clothes into the washing basket housed in the bathroom. He thought that he had managed quite a magnificent job without the use of magic. When he returned from the bathroom his eyes felt heavy from the first physical work he had done since his return to the dursleys four days ago. He collapsed inside his duvets in a heap and fell into a deep sleep.

When he awoke the next day, he instinctively reached for his glasses, slid them onto the bridge of his nose and quickly stored the grief stricken thoughts of Sirius into the back of his mind, as he stretched his aching muscles and pulled himself out of bed. After a moment's thought he remembered not having any clean clothes and made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. When he entered the kitchen the strong smell of bacon prickled his senses and made his stomach growl, reminding him of how hungry he actually was. The Dursleys had disbelieving looks on their faces as Harry entered the kitchen and sat down of his own accord instead of Uncle Vernon having to crack his vocal cords every morning to wake him up.

As Harry picked a few pieces of bacon out of the pan and slipped an egg onto his already buttered toast, he glanced up at his Uncle Vernon and saw his eyes flash and his ears turning red, Harry was unnerved for only a split second before he saw his Uncle open his mouth to speak. Harry returned his placid facial expression and tilted his head upward to listen.

"Not flooding the room with tears anymore, are we?" Vernon sneered.

Seeing his Uncle eating less than usual, he replied.

"Trying to fit behind the steering wheel, are we?"

Uncle Vernons' face pigments changed to different shades of purple in an instant and he retaliated by loading up another spoonful of baked beans onto his plate. This made Aunt Petunia choke and go at Uncle Vernon's diet. Harry took this as his signal, or opportunity, to slip out of the kitchen and make his way upstairs back to his room. A small smile formed at the corners of Harry's lips, for the first time in months, at what he just done._ Hmmm, that was quit pleasurable. _He stored the thought for later.

Harry walked over to his trunk, as he had to organise his possessions in there as well. He quickly made some sort of order out of the chaos that had struck it in the last few days. He discovered to his surprise that he still had forty galleons left from his previous year at Hogwarts, actually he wasn't that surprised considering that he had almost no opportunity to actually spend his money with all that was going on.

He thought for a moment and remembered a service he had read about in Flourish & Blotts in his third year, whilst he was staying in Diagon Alley at the leaky cauldron.

He scrunched up his eyes trying to remember what he had to do. _Ah yes, I remember now._

He pulled out his parchment and started to write.

Dear Manager

_I hope this reaches the right hands for I am in search of books that will help me along my path, which was I might add, chosen for me before I was born._

_I am Harry Potter and I'm hoping to find the best books in Defence against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Healing. Although this might sound strange, I want advanced books of each of these. I am not sure if this service is in use any more but I am hoping for the best. Inside I have included forty Galleons with which I shall pay. If the price of books is more than that then please feel free to send me the bill._

_I plan to purchase more from you this summer and will see you soon, personally._

_Yours sincerely_

_Harry Potter_

After sealing the letter he called Hedwig over and gave her the parchment.

"Take this straight to Flourish & Blotts but drop this letter if anyone tries to hurt you. I won't be able to take it if someone gets hurt again on my account." Hedwig hooted in an encouraging way and took flight. After her form disappeared into the morning sun Harry sat down onto his bed and thought about reasons to continue this life and this war he was forced into.

The following morning Harry woke up to the gentle hoot of his snowy white owl on the headboard of his bed, which was followed by another pair of hoots as two owls came fluttering in through his window. The one he recognised as 'Pig' fluttered around and landed on top of his head while a screech owl he didn't recognise landed on his bedside table with a thump and sat obediently still as Harry tugged Pig off his head and unloaded his 'burden', if you could call it that, which was two letters. Pig flew off and went to have a sip of water from Hedwigs' perch on top of the cupboard, whilst Harry removed the last letter from the screech owl and sent it on it's way.

He recognised the first two letters from Pig as one from Ron and one from Ginny, whilst the other was a letter from Hermione, probably sent while she was in a wizarding village in another country.

He broke the seal on Ron'sletter and started to read:

Dear Harry

_Hiya Mate, just sending a message to check how you're feeling after everything that happened this summer._

_Sorry I hadn't sent a letter earlier to see how you were, but things have been really busy with 'everything', if you know what I mean. wink wink_

_Let me know if those blasted muggles are treating you badly, and I'll try and get you out of there as soon as possible._

_Oh mom's calling; I'll have to write more later._

_Cheers_

_Ron_

_P.S. How do you think you will do on the OWLs? And Ginny Insisted on sending a letter as well whistle_

Harry laughed silently and shook his head at his friend's letter. Next he decided to open Hermione's letter and see what she had to say about her holiday, wherever she was this time. He ripped open the seal to the letter and starting reading again.

Dear Harry

_Hey Harry! How have you been keeping?_

_Mom and Dad decided that we should have a far away vacation to try and keep my mind off the things that happened this summer._

_I'm really sorry about Sirius you know._

She was definitely the first one to mention his Godfather, but this somehow made him accept the fact that he was gone more easily, now that someone else had said it.

He stifled a cry and read further.

_My parents decided to that we should travel to Germany this summer... It really is a fascinating place, no really it is. Before we came here I was reading a book about it and it was really accurately described, for instance..._

Blah, blah, blah, Harry thought to himself, he scanned over Hermione's bantering of Germany and skipped further down until he noticed she had stopped.

_Anyway Harry, I hope the Dursleys don't treat you too badly for the rest of summer._

_Hope to see you soon_

Luv

_Hermione_

Harry folded up the long piece of parchment, which he was glad he didn't read in full detail in fear of a headache, put it on his bedside table and reached for the last letter that was from Ginny. He broke the seal and opened it to start reading.

Dear Harry

_Hi! How have you been?_

_Ok I'll cut to the chase, I've been told to owl you so I can find out for Ron what you would want for your birthday. Considering that he has been your friend for so long you'd expect him to be able to at least know what you want for your birthday, don't you say? Anyway, owl me and let me know. I also wanted to say that I am really sorry for your loss as well as mine, yes mine too. I was also a friend of Sirius and really miss him. He sometimes reminded me of all the good things that was happening, like Quidditch and pranks. He was fun to be with and a good-hearted person. Harry, I don't know how you are feeling but at least try us. We are here for you and wont stop being friends with you even if you push us away._

_Last year was really hard for me. I always had to stay at the sidelines while you Ron and Hermione plot and play together. Don't get me wrong here, we were friends but not like you are with them. They care for you Harry, don't push them away._

_Enough of a young girls rambling, how do you think you did with your OWLs? I know you did well, you always do. Was it hard? Ron insisted that he would have gone crazy if it was not for the powdered chimera URECTA. I don't believe him; Bill always said it was hard, but bearable. Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. Err... sorry...hope you cope with it._

_Love_

_Ginny_

_P.S. Write back soon._

After Harry had finished reading the letters he received he folded the last one and neatly placed it in his trunk and made his way down to breakfast.

He loaded his plate with the usual and starting munching away at it when he saw his Uncle was about to say something but cut him short. "Don't. Not today" was all he strongly commanded at his Uncle, whose jaw abruptly dropped to the table in shock. Harry just took his last bite and took the silence as an opportunity to quickly leave before his Uncle came back to his senses.

When Harry reached his room he decided to just read and plan what else he still wanted to do in the summer to keep himself occupied while he waited the arrival of his books.

It was getting dark and at about seven o' clock eight or nine big, well-built owl's arrived inside his room with several hoots.

At first Harry was startled by the sudden appearance of so many owls, until he spotted and recognised the parcels they were carrying with them. All the owls decided to use the bed as a landing strip, creating a deep indent in his mattress. Harry reached out and relieved the owls of their burden. Harry quickly counted and the heavy tomes dropped by the owls and counted sixteen in total, happy with his purchase, Harry spotted a letter on the ninth owl, took it off it's leg and sent all the owl's on their way.

For the fourth time that day Harry broke the seal on the parchment and folded it open.

Dear Harry

_Included with this letter and owl are another eight owls with the various advanced tomes you have requested._

_The purchase was sixty galleons in total; I had to make a twenty galleon total withdrawal from your Gringotts vault, which the Goblins were reluctant to do at first till I showed them your signed permission contained in your previous letter._

_It has been an honour doing business with you, and I hope that the advanced tomes I sent to you help in the struggle against the Dark Lord and his forces._

_Good Luck_

_Flourish._

Harry folded the letter up and placed it in his trunk along with the other three he had received that morning. Harry took all the heavy books and placed them in a pile at the side of his bed, quickly glancing at the cover of each book that was sent to him, he realised that the biggest percentage of his books were about the Dark Arts and Healing, which didn't really surprise him that much.

He read a few pages in each book to get an idea of what he was up against, but his eyelids were getting heavy, so he decided to call it a day and give into the monster that was sleep.

Harry awoke again with a disgruntled start on the last day of his first week back from Hogwarts. He didn't bother going down to breakfast that morning as he wasn't very hungry, and rather decided to snack on some of the sweets he had brought with him from school. Considering everything that had happened to him his first week back, he decided to take the day easy and relax, to try to clear his mind of all his bothering thoughts.

The end of the day approached, he took off his glasses and fell asleep with a smile thinking of the coming week.

When Harry awoke, he still felt the usual grogginess he felt every morning. For a few seconds he was fumbling around for his glasses till he found them and placed them firmly on his nose and stared around his room, just for a moment, until he remembered what he was going to do that day. With that thought he got up, slipped on a random shirt and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. After another static meal with the Dursleys he went upstairs, got his towel and went straight for the shower.

When he turned the taps off again, he felt revived and fresh to start the first task for the day ahead. After a quick loathing glare from Dudley, Harry was in his room and jumped into some clean clothes that he had washed. Harry battled for a few minutes trying to straighten the whirlpool in his head before he decided to give up.

The first thing that Harry wanted to do, was to send replies to all the people that had owled him two days ago, as the owl in his bedroom wouldn't leave without a reply. He removed his quill from the sticky ink mess on the table, took it to the sink in the bathroom and quickly scrubbed it as clean as he could get it before any of the Dursleys noticed what he was up to.

He dragged his, still lazy, feet back to his room and sat down at his desk to start on the letters. Harry decided to start with a reply to Hermione's letter, just saying that he was still OK and hoped that she enjoyed the rest of her travels overseas, he added a little sarcastic joke about how he couldn't wait to hear about the books she had read in Germany. With a minute's thought he started on the letter to Ron.

Dear Ron

_Hey mate! You guys don't have to worry so much about me, really!_

_I am fine, honestly. What have you been doing this summer so far? I really miss you guys and I really miss flying around on my missing Firebolt. Do you think they will unban me from Quidditch this year? You haven't heard anything from the order about it maybe, have you?_

_I also sent this letter, because I want you to personally go to Dumbledore and ask him to pay me a visit, as I have a few things that I really need to discuss with him which I couldn't discuss in his office at the end of last term, due to certain circumstances (He'll know what I am talking about). Please tell him it is very important and that I need to speak to him a.s.a.p._

_Send my regards to your parents and brothers._

_Regards,_

_Harry_

_P.S. How are the twins doing? Has anybody heard from them after I saw them at the train station?_

Reading over his letter, he folded it up and placed it on the side of his table and furrowed his brow in thought as to what he was going to say in reply to Ginny's letter.

After about ten minutes of thought, he decided to keep it simple and started writing his reply to her letter.

_Dear Ginny..._

_I don't really know how I will do on my OWL results, but I believe they won't be that shocking. I can't really think of anything specific I want for my birthday so tell your brother that he shouldn't break a leg over it. He he he._

_I was really touched and surprised by the letter you sent me, so it took a while for me to think of a reply._

_I have been coping with Sirius's death so I'm feeling a little better, I won't deny that he still haunts my dreams every night and that the guilt still manages to catch me off guard at times. I never actually knew that you knew Sirius or even spoke to him for that matter, he never mentioned that to me while he was still alive._

_He really was good-hearted person, and only had the best intentions at heart and I suppose that is why he came out of the house to try and come rescue me._

_You know it really helps talking to someone about this. Thank you for being the person that confronted me over this, because the others seem to scared to even try and mention his name, which I can understand a little, but you can't just leave it forever._

_Again, Thank you that all of you are here for me and I won't forget this._

_Love_

_Harry._

Harry reread his letter a few times before folding it up and placing it with Ron's. He called Hedwig over, told her the address and gave her two owl treats before sending her on the way to the Burrow.

Harry then pulled out another piece of blank parchment and started to write down the jumble of things he had in mind to suggest and explain to the powerful white wizard Dumbledore when he arrived. He wanted to make a good and firm impression on him when he tried to tell him about his suggestions. After about an hour he had a good idea of how he was going handle the situation and convince Dumbledore to go along with his idea.

With that done, Harry picked up the fully scribbled parchment and sent it on its course to the eternal flame of _The Candle._

_Hmm, that does sound quite sinister, where did that come from?_

Throwing this thought aside Harry picked up his new tome of Dark Art titled: _How to hurt the painless by Johnny McClaugen_

_Sounds interesting. _Harry thought.

He starting reading through it, and scribbled down all the various spells he'd like to or needed to learn. There were some really nasty and dangerous spells in this book, which he doubted Flourish had gotten from his own bookstore, which might explain why the price was so high.

After the sun had already disappeared behind the houses of Privet drive an hour ago and his eyes were burning from the candle light, his body felt attracted to the heat waves released by the candle, he decided to call it a day and slumped onto his bed, removed his glasses and fell asleep almost instantly.

He dreamt about the knowledge of the spells all being shoved into his brain at a shocking rate. The world around him swirled and blurred until he came to a halt at the park swing he was at last year before the dementors attacked him. He glanced around feeling very, very cold and deserted. He tried to move his legs but they seemed stuck to the ground, he looked up again and noticed a half dozen masked figures approaching him. He panicked for a second at the sight of them, but then all was calm and he fired hundreds of unknown spells towards them that just came out of him like an organised book. Each had its own appropriate purpose. Just then his legs broke free, but he tripped and hit the grass face first and awoke on the floor of his bedroom with a gasp. Getting up and feeling hot on his face he reached for his glasses and tried to slide them onto his nose. He realised that it was very sore and aching, so instead he held the glasses in front of his eyes and peered through them, seeing the patch of blood on the wooden floors he immediately realised what must have happened.

He jumped up, clasped his hands around the entrance to his nostrils and bolted towards the bathroom making sure he didn't mess any blood on Aunt Petunia's 'precious' carpet.

After a few moments of struggling he managed to get the blood clogged and under control, so he made his way back to his room. He swore under his breath about the silly nightmare he just had that caused him this trouble.

With a Tissue in his nose, Harry strolled over to his window and rested his palms on the edge. He peered out at the sun rising. Deciding that he wouldn't fall asleep again, he convinced himself that some air would actually do him good. So he jumped into a pair of shorts, slipped on a pair of worn out shoes and made his way outside. He started walking and thinking about everything in general. He eventually reached the park but remembering the dream he just had, he steered far clear of it. Feeling extremely cold so early in the morning Harry decided to jog back and take a hot shower before he started his daily activity, which would become reading through his books.

When he reached the Dursleys home and started to make his way upstairs, he saw Uncle Vernon getting reading for work. He had just finished shaving so Harry took the opportunity to quickly take a shower whilst the bathroom was still unoccupied. As he made his way back to his room after showering, he heard Dudley and Aunt Petunia having a row about something he only caught snatches of.

"I am not going to buy you any more B.B. Bullets if you don't..."

"But mom!"

"No Dudley! What will the neighbours think if they see you shoo..."

Harry left it at that and closed his door. He slipped on some fresh clothes and started reading through all the new books he had, making notes here and there about things he should remember. He spent his whole day just reading up on various kinds of things and couldn't wait to try them out. His stomach grumbled and warned him to get something in there before it starting munching Harry, with that he snuck into the kitchen and nicked a few slices of beef from the fridge, which he quickly swallowed down, and returned upstairs.

When Harry was just too tired to carry on, he fell asleep again. Having a fairly dreamless sleep he woke up quite late the next morning, seeing a blurred vision of something tall in the corner of his room. He slipped on his glasses and was greeted by the sight of Albus Dumbledore.

'Lemon drop Harry?' Professor Dumbledore whispered through his smile.

Harry was shocked for a moment. That disappeared as quickly as it came, as he finally realized who was actually standing there.

'Uh...'

Dumbledore chuckled at the sight of Harry's confusion. At that moment a thousand words was going through his mind, trying to remember what he planned on saying.

'It's not hexed you know.'

Harry reached out and took a lemon drop and popped it into his mouth. The sour taste prickled and refreshed his brain.

'Morning Professor, I didn't expect to see you so early.'

Harry glanced around at his once again brewing chaos, which is his room.

'Well, I didn't expect to arrive so early, but your friend made it seem that it was very important that I see you as soon as possible.'

'I'm glad you came... You might want to sit down somewhere this might take a while.'

Harry looked up at his headmaster and saw him flick his wand and conjure a very plump armchair to sit on, when he was seated he put his hand on his lap and looked intently at Harry.

'Alright lets get this over with. Fire away.' Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling with anticipation.

'Professor, firstly I think I should apologise for your office...'Harry began but Dumbledore cut him off with a wave of his hand.

'Harry, the objects which you destroyed last year were restored and nothing was permanently broken.'

'Oh...all right then. Secondly, I have thought about the prophecy these last few days and I want to turn it to my favour. I want to beat him. He took away my parents, childhood and my life. I don't want to become a murderer but if that's is the only way, then I will do it.' Harry finished off and waited for Dumbledore to talk. When he didn't, Harry saw it as a signal to continue.

'Somehow I always thought that it would be you who would defeat him, _The_ Albus Dumbledore, the strongest wizard of the age, the one who everyone believes in. Never have I thought that it would have to be me. I don't think I can do it. Not now anyway. I can't just go through school and expect that I will have all the knowledge to beat him. I will have to study, learn, practice and perfect my magic, fight and win. I am tired of people running my life. I want to make my own decisions, my own choices. I don't care if you make suggestions but I want to know of them before you act. I am tired of living in fear, what will it help us in the fight that will come. I want to learn to fight and stand up for myself. The order can't protect me my whole life. They can only do so much and then there will be death. People will die because of me. If I can hold my own then the people close to me can be relatively safe. Then I can live again. My life will only begin when Voldemort is dead. Then I can begin again, start over. I want to begin now.'

'Well Harry I see you have given this quite a lot of thought. One thing that you will have to realise is that this is war. People die in war and most of the time there is nothing you can do about it,' the wise old man said.

Harry sat and pondered on his last statement. _I can't possibly take responsibility for all the people that will die, can I? _No but you can help the people by showing them that you shouldn't stop and that you should look forward, instead of showing all the sadness.

'Sir I realise that, it will be hard and painful but it is something I must do. If you can't get what is yours you should fight for it.'

Albus sat there impressed and saddened by the young wizard. For one he had taken his destiny and accepted it, more easily than anyone else he knew. It was sad to think that the world could be thrown off balance with one evil man's intentions. It was worse that one boy...no, one man, should carry the burdens of the world.

Dumbledore stood up and offered Harry a hand to help him off his bed. He took it and the old but strong hands helped him up once again. Dumbledore turned around, took out his wand, grasped it firmly with both of his hands and began to move with graceful ease, considering that he was 150 years old. As he began his incantation he revolved 360 degrees and thrust his wand upwards. There shot a beam of light out of the tip towards the roof that would have surely blasted a hole straight through but instead a foot below the ceiling it stopped and began to spread out until his whole room was encased in a magnificent pure white dome. A few minutes later it began to shimmer and then disappeared. Although Harry couldn't see it he still felt it.

'Harry, I have put a ward on your room which will allow you to do magic without the ministry knowing about it. I must stress with you the importance of this. It must not become common knowledge. I trust you will use it responsibly.' Dumbledore looked at him with his piercing blue eyes.

'Y... yes sir' Harry replied shocked, he didn't think it would be this easy to convince him 'I will.'

'Good,' Dumbledore said with his trademark twinkle in his eyes. 'Now let us make this place more suitable for magical practice.'

'I believe', he pointed his wand to the only bare patch of wall 'We must make this bigger.'

With that he enlarged the one side of his room and made it look like a duelling platform. Another flick of his wand a shining metal plate, about 3 inches thick and the size of an ordinary shield, appeared out of thin air and fit itself tightly onto the far end of the wall.

'This,' he indicated towards the metal plate, 'is a practice block as I call it. It absorbs any spell and tells you if it is done correctly. Any dark magic that is used against it will rebound. I trust you will use it accordingly.' Dumbledore said clearly waiting for a replay.

'Yes sir, I don't know what to say, this is more, much more than I hoped for.' Harry stammered.

'It was my pleasure, young Harry, my pleasure' Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his left eye. 'If it is all then I shall have to take my leave.'

'Thank you sir,' was all that Harry could say.

'Well goodbye Harry, I shall send Fawkes with appropriate books for you to prepare with.' And with that said he disapperated with a soft pop.

Later that night at dinner Harry thought about the best way to break the good news to his "family".

'Uncle Vernon,' Harry began 'my headmaster was here this morning, and placed a spell on my room to allow me to do magic in my room.'

The effect was a bit delayed but they eventually caught on. Uncle Vernon coughed out his food and began to change to his trademark angry purple. Aunt Petunia whimpered, horse like, and paled. Dudley dropped his fork and grabbed his oversized bottom while trying to flee and fell face first onto the floor. This was obviously not enough to stop the motivated boy because he jumped up as if nothing happened and made his way towards his room.

'YOU CALL THAT FREAK OVER HERE NOW AND TELL HIM I Don't WANT A CRACKPOT SPELL ON MY HOUSE!' Uncle Vernon bellowed with spit flying everywhere.

'NO.' Harry said in a firm and strong voice 'We can continue this discussion further in my room.' And with that he got up and walked at a brisk pace towards his room. Vernon clearly decided that it was not worth it because he didn't follow and just sat there stunned. While Harry was still enjoying his first victory a sudden flash of fire came out of nowhere in his room and blinded him for a split second. Instinctively he grabbed his wand and pointed it towards the fire only to be face to face with the Headmasters beautiful pet Phoenix, Fawkes. Fawkes flew in a circle around Harry and sang a few thrilling notes which encouraged him. Fawkes then sat down onto Harry's bed with a humongous trunk.

'What's this' He asked. Fawkes sang a short shrill note as a replay and went to sit with Hedwig at her perch who shuffled over to make room for the beautiful bird. _That's strange _Harry thought _Hedwig usually pecks at them. Well...who wouldn't like Fawkes?_

Harry walked over to the trunk and lifted the lid. Inside he found about a hundred books and various other strange things. On top of the books was a small note in Professor Dumbledore's loopy handwriting.

_Dear Harry_

_Here are books that I have found useful over my years. They are my books but you can use them for as long as you wish._

_Your friends can also use them because I dare say that Miss Granger will give me a piece of her extraordinary mind if I refuse._

_Professor Dumbledore_

Harry reread the note to make sure he was not dreaming. He couldn't believe the old man. This was really too much for him to take in. First the ward, then the dinner fiasco and now this. There were easily a hundred thick tomes inside. Hermione would go crazy with all these books. How could he possibly accept this? He closed the lid and told Fawkes to take it back but the bird would have none of it. He simply greeted Hedwig with an affectionate rub of its head and sang a brilliant tone. He flew over to Harry and perched on his shoulder. Harry took out a quill and parchment and scribbled a short note

_Dear Professor Dumbledore_

_This really is too much, but Fawkes won't take it back. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate this. There are easily a hundred huge tomes in there!_

_Thank you very much. I will take good care of it._

_Regards_

_Harry._

He held out the note to Fawkes, who clasped it in one of his talons and disappeared with a burst of flames, dropping a perfect golden feather that floated gently towards the ground. He picked up the feather and made a mental note to give it to Hermione for her birthday, to use as a quill. He removed the trunk from his bed and put it at the foot of his small table. He grabbed a random book out of the trunk, plopped down on his bed and started to read.

Thursday came and went without Harry realising it because he was so engrossed in his new book: _How to clean the dirt by Kandrof Blonski, _which went from how to use easy but effective spells in the heat of battles to the aftermath of the battle and how to cope with it. The only time Harry stopped reading was when he desperately needed the bathroom. He read until he finally fell asleep with his mind a mixed jumble of phrases and spells.

Friday Harry decided to test out the "Spell Absorber" as he called it. He started out easy with a simple body bind curse and saw the spell sink into the metal and shimmer green for a few seconds. He thought that it indicated that the spell was correctly executed. Next he tried a stunner, which also sank into the metal and caused it to shimmer a brighter green. As the day wore on he realised that the brighter the green is the stronger the spell is. Red means that the spell was done incorrectly or uncompleted and ineffective.

He stood fifteen paces back, which he thought would be a normal distance for duelling with an old and dusty tome in his left hand and his wand in his right hand. He wanted to try out a spell, which would cause your opponent to see double vision for a minute. As Harry began the incantation and wand movement he realised too late that he should have twirled his wand instead of twist it. He tried to stop but the spell had already fired off. The reddish light shot forward and ricocheted off the wall back towards him. He dropped the book and ducked down. The spell blasted the book to smithereens and engulfed it in blue flames. Harry quickly regained his composure and put out the flames with a spray of water from his wand, but it was to late the book was complete ash. As he cleaned up he saw a piece of parchment in the ash that didn't burn, not even singed at the edges. He picked it up and inspected the writing on the parchment but try as he might he couldn't understand a word of it. Then he remembered - the translation spell Hermione used in his fourth year before the second task, to uncover strange words. He grabbed the parchment and took out his fourth year charms book, scanned through it until he found the right spell and started the translation.

The spell was unusually difficult because as Harry realised that the phrases were all in different languages. After a lot of difficulty he finally got the words in English on another piece of parchment. Whatever Harry might have suspected would be on this piece of parchment, wasn't nearly as great as that which met his eyes.

(**A/N's: This is our first chapter so don't kill us too badly :P , Please review after you have read this, every bit of criticism helps. Chapter Two promises to be a lot more exciting when Harry Start's his errands. So come back and read it. Should be up in 1-2 Days.**)


	2. All Brain no Brawn

**Chapter 2 All Brain no Brawn**

Harry sat there stunned. He didn't know what to do. Should he tell Dumbledore, Hermione or maybe Ron? _Ha, Ron yea right Harry what do you expect him to do? 'Harry, this is big magic! Ah well. Up for a game of chess?'_ Yea Ron would be a big help. _Hermione? 'Harry, go straight to Professor Dumbledore while I check the library.' _Maybe Dumbledore? NO this I think I will keep to myself.

Harry sat there for who knows how long and read the spell through. He thought about what could go wrong, what could happen if he got this spell correct. _Well_ he thought_ I should probably try it. _This Harry realised was going to take a lot of planning. After he decided to try it in the morning when he was refreshed he got up and went to get himself a snack.

Harry woke up and felt unusually happy for once. Then he remembered, the spell!

After he dressed in Dudley's old hand me downs. He quickly went down stairs to find the Dursley's already seated. All conversation stopped as soon as they saw him. Harry sat on his usual secluded part of the table and began to spoon some eggs onto his plate when Uncle Vernon bellowed 'Boy, I don't care if your freaky friends come over, you are still mine!' And with that said he jumped up and ran to Harry Who took this as the end of his short breakfast and bolted for his room but not before his seeker reflexes kicked in and he deftly ducked a blow from his Uncle. Once he got into his room he got out his wand and pointed it to his doorway. The door slammed open and there stood Uncle Vernon, a dangerous shade of purple with the vein on his temple looking fit to burst. But once he saw what was pointed at his face he let out a squeal, that you would associate with a pig, and ran from the room. This was his second victory over the Dursleys' and his war.

Feeling refreshed and wide-awake he got the piece of parchment from under his loose floorboard and sat down to begin. Once he was comfortable, with the desired book in his hand he began the spell. Once he stopped chanting the incantation he braced himself for the effect to take place only, nothing happened. As soon as he thought that, it began. His wand started to shine a brilliant white that spread to his arm and then all around his body. The most curios sensation happened. If he had to describe it, he would probably say it felt like the Imperius Curse _but_ he knew he was in control. It felt like there was no care in the world, nothing to be scared of and nothing to worry about. It was total bliss. He tried to move his arm but he found that his hands were already busy turning over the pages, while his eyes read line for line at an alarming rate. His brain stored everything in the right place and didn't miss a beat. He couldn't believe what was happening to him. If he himself weren't in this position he wouldn't believe it. He thought there was no learning spell, no spell to make you remember something out of a book. But as he sat there, his hands turned the pages as if it were the last day of the world whilst his mind stored everything it read. It was a mixture between the Imperius and a speed enhancement charm. The spell told you to read and reading was exactly what you did, while the speed charm made your hands and eyes moved at speeds that you thought weren't humanly possible. _This_ Harry thought _is the life_. You just sit there and relax while your body does all the work.

Two hours later the spell was lifted and he stood up. He couldn't believe it. He felt like he had just woken up from a long and peaceful sleep. He picked up the heavy tomb and scanned the pages only to find that he automatically recalled every word he was about to read. He remembered the incantation and wand movement; on another place in his mind he remembered the words, as you would describe the spell to someone else. This spell was even better than he thought it would be. It was easy, fast and surely effective.

Harry went to his trunk to get another book but then it hit him. A headache like he hadn't experienced in a long time, it felt like a bludger to the head. Feeling the pain rattling behind his eyes he decided to have a lie in...

When he woke up it was almost dark. He shifted his sore arms and figured that the spell surely had its negative effects. He slept the whole day and he experienced a headache that would make you think that you had had a fight with Grawp. But it was sure as hell worth it. Even if it makes you sleep for a day it was worth it. Hermione would take days even weeks to read that book! After a quick trip to the bathroom he decided to try it on another book. Two hours later the same effects; tired, headache and even more painful arms. As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell into a dreamless yet very peculiar throbbing sleep.

The next two days came and went for Harry as if it never existed. He fell into a routine were he would complete a book, sleep, wake up, grab a snack from the kitchen and then it would start all over again. It was Tuesday when he took a break from his chaotic routine. As always when he was doing nothing his mind would automatically stray to the prophecy and Sirius.

_It's unfair_ he thought, as he sat on his windowsill and saw three teenagers strolling around with carefree look on their faces. They don't have to worry about killing a truly evil dictator or worry about their friends' safety, only because they're your friends. They can just live normal lives, worry about homework or do plainly nothing without their mind wandering to their murdered Parents and Godfather. As he sat there he realised that his friends sacrificed their normality for his sake. They don't have to but they do because they care for him. They could just desert him and have normal lives but they willingly give it up. They fight for what they believe in, with hope to make this world a better place even if it wasn't for them. The same with his parents and Sirius, they fought to make it a better place. Then he realised he had a lot more to fight for. He could fight for his parents and Sirius. He had to fight for a place in the world and he wouldn't get it if Voldemort was still alive. He would fight to get back what was stolen from him. _...Kill or be killed..._

With that thought he went back to his room after a bathroom break. As he walked past Dudley's room he saw him shooting poor innocent kids who happened to walk by with a B.B gun. Harry couldn't understand how anyone could get pleasure out of tormenting other kids. He thought about jinxing the gun to shoot Dudley. _Hmmm_ that gave him an idea... After he completed another book and lay down to try and force the headache away he devised his plan.

When Harry woke up at five o' clock from the alarm spell he had cast, he quickly slipped on some new clothes and started his preparations for the long day ahead of him. Harry walked over to his window and peered out at the dark street and scanning every detail deciding on which route he should take. He turned back to his room and made his way to the pile of things he had prepared for his travel. He put his plain black robes on and slid his wand into the inside pocket. He snatched everything else he would need and got under his invisibility cloak. He was just making his way for the door when he remembered he forgot his key. He walked back to his trunk and scrambled around for a minute, got it and left the house very silently.

Harry was strolling at a fast pace down the street, his empty enlarged backpack flapping against his back. When he turned the corner of the third street he stopped and peered around to make sure there weren't any muggles looking while he pulled off his invisibility cloak and placed it in his backpack. He reached for his wand and stuck it out into the direction of the street. For a moment Harry wondered if it had worked but tossed the thought a second later when a there was a loud _BANG_ and the magnificent triple Decker bus appeared out of nowhere. After five years in the Wizarding world, he was still amazed at sudden appearances of unknown objects. The person who stepped out, Harry remembered as Stan Shunpike the Conductor of the Knight Bus.

'Hullo and welcome to the Knight Bus, I am Stan Shunpike the Conductor.' Stan announced.

Harry hesitated for a moment, but stepped up to Stan anyway 'Hi! I need to get to Diagon Alley.' Stan scanned Harry up and down for a brief second. 'Sure. Hop in. What did you say your name was?' Stan questioned. Harry thought for a second about whether he would try and lie to him or just be honest. Stepping onto the bus he replied 'I didn't. The name's Harry Potter. How much do I owe you?' Harry stretched out his hand to shake Stan's. Stan practically grabbed Harry's hand and shook it vigorously with a wide smile 'It's truly and honour to finally meet _The_ Harry Potter, I thought I recognised you from somewhere...' His eye quickly flickered up to Harry's scar and back down to his eyes, 'Considering that it is _you_, you get a discount. That'll be nine sickles.' Harry reached into his robe pocket and felt the weight of quite a few galleons that he must have had left from last year as well. He took them out and did a rough count of ten galleons, thinking for a second he thought of something. He gave all the money to the conductor and told him to keep the change. Stan's jaw dropped and was just about to say something but Harry cut him off 'I was never on this bus.' With an understanding smile and a nod, Stan walked over to the bus driver and told him to get going.

The bus trip was fairly short considering that he was the only person on the bus. They stopped outside of the Leaky Cauldron pub and Stan winked at him as Harry got off and made his way inside. When Harry walked into the practically deserted pub (there were a few passed out wizards in a corner.) he avoided Tom, the innkeeper, and made his way out back. He reached the wall and racked his brain for a few moments trying to remember where to tap with his wand. He remembered, reached out for his wand and started counting the bricks. When he found the right one he tapped it and walked through the arch into the long but amazing street of Diagon Alley. It was almost six o' clock now and most of the shops were starting to open. Deciding not to waste too much time or attract too much attention, he made his way over to Gringotts, walking as fast as possible. It didn't take him to long to reach the marble steps of the bank. He glided up them and entered the lobby. Still amazing as ever, the lobby was quite busy for this early in the morning, which surprised Harry a little. Looking around Harry found an open counter and approached the goblin sitting behind it.

'Good morning, I'd like to make a withdrawal from my account and convert some of it into Muggle currency.' Harry greeted. The goblin gave him a bored stare and asked him for his key.

It wasn't long before he had withdrawn quite a large amount of galleons, which he placed into his backpack, and was back in the lobby.

'If you'd follow me into my office we can quickly arrange the conversion of your money.' The goblin told Harry in a monotone that you would expect from a Muggle machine. Following the goblin, Harry found himself in quite a battered and messy office. The Goblin offered him a chair while he scrambled around on his desk looking for something. Once he found what he was looking for the goblin looked up and peered at Harry.

'How much Muggle money will you be required? Working at the rate of twelve pounds to a galleon.' Harry thought about this for a moment, thinking of everything he needs to buy.

'I will need around two thousand pounds.' Harry stated.

'Very well...' Quickly doing a sum in his head, the goblin wrote something on a form and pushed it over to Harry.

'That will be a hundred and seventy galleons, and you will need to sign at the bottom of this form.' The goblin pointed at the paper in front of Harry. Harry peered at the form quickly, signed and handed it back. The goblin took it and placed it in a filing cabinet, which was way too full in Harry's opinion. Next he pulled out two thousand pounds while Harry placed his galleons onto the counter.

'Thank you sir, I will also be needing a Muggle I.D. document, if possible, stating my age as nineteen.'

Harry tried requesting this as confidently as he could manage.

The goblin raised his eyebrow at Harry and said 'your not even seventeen Mr. Potter, how do you expect me to give you an I.D.?'

Harry smiled, pulled out twenty galleons and placed it on the counter. Harry knew he had it from the greedy look in the goblins eye. The goblin grabbed the money and bustled around till he pulled out a machine that looked a lot like a muggle toaster and placed it onto the papers that Harry signed. The machine began to hum and then a loud bang after which a small book, which he realized was an I.D., popped out of the top and took flight. The goblin caught it and peered inside. He placed it on the table and snapped his fingers. Small numbers floated out of the book and rearranged themselves while sinking back in. Harry peered at it and saw that he was now officially nineteen in the Muggle world.

The goblin held it out at Harry and said 'Thank you sir, it was a pleasure doing business with you.'

'Er, yes thank you.' With that, he took the muggle money and his I.D., shoved it in his backpack and left the goblin's office.

After he left Gringotts he strolled around peacefully because the muggle shops only opened at nine. That meant he had an hour and a half to waste. He decided to have breakfast when an interesting shop caught his attention. He entered the armourer shop and looked in awe at the different types of armour available. There was everything you could imagine. From old and heavy medieval iron armour to the newest and most beautiful dragon hide armour.

'Bootifull ain' it?' A gruff and deep voice asked from right behind Harry. He spun round and saw a huge man almost the size of Hagrid grinning at him.

'Y... Yes,' Stammered Harry 'it is.'

'Well, can I help you with somethin' young man?' He asked in a strong Scottish accent.

'Oh no, I'm just looking around.' Harry said, turning to look at the black dragon hide.

'Scream if you need something.'

'OK will do' 'thanks.' Harry added while walking through the rows. _There is enough here armour to fit out an army_, Harry thought. While he strolled through the isles he came to a sudden halt at the counter and did a double take. In a glass case behind the till in the corner was the most beautiful armour Harry had ever seen. It was a light brown colour with a greenish tint, an inch thick and looked indestructible.

'Excuse me, sir!' Harry called

'Rite here.' The man said

'What is that?' Harry asked pointing to the case

'Ah, that my young friend is Basilisk armour. The strongest there is, absorbs almost all spells and can't be broken once it is set into the desired shape.' The man explained with a far away look in his eyes.

'Wow... How much does it cost?' Harry asked curios.

'HA HAHA HA, no my boy this is the only set in England and is rare as hell. The basilisk is so rare and lethal that no one ever tries to get some. Damn you got to be crazy to even try.' The man explained.

'O' was all that Harry said. He already had another idea brewing in his mind. With that he said a quick goodbye and left to get some breakfast and think about the new discovery. _This is new_ he thought _Well sir, I just happen to know where basilisk is just waiting to be used for good. A Lot of things to do first though _he thought.

Once he was outside of the leaky cauldron he remembered he had no idea where to find what he was looking for. He started walking along the busy London road asking people for directions. All of them reacted the same; stare at him, utterly shocked and then hunch up their shoulders as if to say no. It wasn't until he almost lost hope that he saw it. The sign on top of the small entry way read: 'AMMUNATION'. At last, he had found it! As he entered the store a bell chimed and a surly man dressed in khaki clothes came out of the back. He took one look at Harry and said in a irritated voice 'What do you want in _here_?'

'I want to purchase a pistol _sir_.' Harry said matter of factly.

'You have to be over eighteen to buy anything in here, _boy_.' The man said in the same tone of voice. Harry took out his new I.D. and placed it on the counter while scanning the glass cases in search of a suitable firearm.

The man stuttered and spluttered until Harry pointed to a sturdy looking handgun. Without a word the man placed the weapon onto the counter next to Harry's I.D. Harry picked it up slowly and was surprised at its' heavy weight. He looked it over several times and decided it would do the trick.

'I think this'll do sir.' Harry said.

'Why do you want a such deadly weapon 'ey?' The man asked clearly not believing that such a young man would want a firearm.

'It hasn't got anything to do with you.' Harry said in a strong and firm voice deciding the man clearly didn't plan on being friendly. The man seemed taken aback by Harry's answer and said.

'I should warn you that all my weapons have tracking numbers on them so don't try anything _funny_ with it, if you know what I mean?'

'Do I look like someone who would just go out and kill people for pleasure?' Harry said with a lopsided smile.

He didn't answer snatched the gun out of Harry's grasp and rung it up.

'That'll be nine hundred pounds.' The man grimaced while Harry counted out the bank notes and placed it onto the counter. He took it and stared in disbelief at it clearly shocked that a nineteen-year-old boy would have so much money in cash.

'I need some bullets too.' Harry said and started counting out more cash.

The man placed a small box of 9mm bullets next to the gun and took the rest of Harry's money. After he placed it in a bag he gave it to Harry and said

'Don't think now that you have power and that you can play with it, please use it responsibly.'

Harry snorted, taking no notice of the man's change in demeanour.

'I only plan to use it to save my own life and the lives of my friends, if the need arises.'

'I'm glad.' The man replied in his original sarcastic tone.

'Bye sir.' And with that he was off.

After he rounded a corner he slipped into an abandoned alley and placed the bag into his rucksack. Next he decided to get himself some new clothes. He entered a modest looking clothes store and began to scan the shelves. After a few minutes a voice from behind him asked 'Can I help you?' As Harry turned he couldn't help but gape at the sight before him. In front of him there stood a girl (if you could call it that), about 20 years old, with an incredibly short skirt and a top that was way too small for her and was displaying way too much skin (in his opinion) to go out in public with.

'Uh no, I just need to get some clothes.' Harry said uncomfortably.

'Okay, just call me if you need something.' She purred deeply.

'I, I will' He stammered, still shocked.

With that she left, slowly swinging her hips causing Harry's eyes to be cast automatically downwards. Feeling embarrassed with himself he started to scan the shelves. _Damn how the hell could the Dursleys not even afford a simple shirt for me. Dudley's daily chocolate supply costs more than this._ Picking some shirts and pants for himself he went to the counter and placed it on top. Next he went to the shoe department to get himself his _own_ pair of sneakers. He decided on a simple pair of running shoes, which he could charm later on, to not wear and tear to easily. With that done he went to pay for his clothes only to find the girl sitting behind the counter, elbows propped up, with cleavage for all the world to see. When Harry didn't say anything she asked

'Is that all?'

'Err, Yes.' Harry sneered.

'I can see you need new clothes. I mean where did you dig out those robes? In your great grandfathers' closet?' She said snorting into her hand. It was then that Harry realised he didn't even think about what he was wearing before he entered the Muggle shops. How could he be so stupid, parading in the muggle world around with wizarding clothes.

'Err, N-No it was a dare.' He said and hoped she would believe him.

'O, I never thought that I would say this but it actually looks good on you. Almost natural.' She said while ringing up his clothes. He didn't know what to say to that so he just kept quiet.

After he was done he said a fair goodbye and left for Privet drive again. Once he got into the suburb he paid Stan and slipped into an alley where he donned his invisibility cloak again. Then he started his trip back to no.4. While he was walking past Magnolia Crescent he couldn't help feeling the sense of loss that threatened to overwhelm him. There, right there, was where he had met Sirius for the first time. Well not met but saw and now it felt empty. Quite suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as if someone or something was looking at him but he knew it was impossible because he had his cloak on.

After walking again he felt the same feeling and spun around, wand in hand, ready for an attack.

'Put it away boy, muggles can see it.' Came the gruff growl of an invisible Moody.

'Professor Moody?' Harry asked

'Who else do you know that can see through invisibility cloaks?' He growled

'How long have you been following me?' Harry asked, scared that the order may find out about his little trip.

'I saw you at Magnolia Crescent. Don't worry I wont tell anybody. It helps if you visit the places that remind you of him.' He said with sorrow in his voice.

'Yes, I wanted to be sure that he really is gone.' He said playing along.

'Don't worry my boy time heals all wounds. It will do you good to remember that. Anyway, I have to be off, got lots to do. You know... walking around invisible.' He said with a bit of humour in his voice.

'Okay, cheers.' Harry said walking away. He thought he heard Moody mumble something along the lines of '..._at least someone with constant vigilance'. _

Once he was safely in his room he unpacked his clothes and placed them in his trunk. Next he cast a locking charm on his door and took out his beauty. It was a simple pitch-black pistol with a silver lining along the barrel that came together at the tip. It looked pretty cool in Harry's opinion.

And so he started working on his new toy. The first spell to cast on it was a silencing charm. He stood up to test if his spell actually worked, only to find that he didn't have anything to shoot at. He saw the "Spell Absorber" against the wall that Dumbledore gave him but he wasn't sure if it would work. He cast an anti-Physical damage charm on himself (in case the bullet ricocheted) that he had read about the other day and stood at the ready. He aimed at the absorber's direction and fired. The guns' shock wave travelled through his arm and he staggered backwards. He didn't know what to expect but he didn't think it would be such a powerful shock. He looked at the spell absorber and saw that it had indeed sucked the bullet in. Causing a set of ripples across the shield, like a rock splashing into a dam. After that it was in its usual form and it shimmered blue for a second.

_I haven't seen blue before. I have to find out what this means. _He thought about it for a moment. _Green means I did the spell correctly, red means it was done wrongly so what does blue mean? Can it be physical damage?_ He stood up and went to the absorber. He picked up his stool and gave the absorber a hefty whack, receiving the same results as the bullet. It rippled and then shimmered blue for a second or so. Well this can prove to be useful. He thought that if he wanted to become an adequate fighter he would at least have to know how to throw a punch. _Well back to my gun._ And so he started working.

Later that day he had configured his gun to shoot faster and to let the bullets hit harder. He charmed the bullets to shoot straighter for further range, a nifty spell he got in one of his books. He then enlarged the inside of his clip to hold round about twenty-eight bullets. Once he got all that done he checked to see weather all was in order. He was absolutely stunned with his gun. It didn't make one sound, it didn't shock so much, just enough to let you know it shot, and the 'absorber' shined a brilliant bright blue after each shot.

All of his bullets were in two of his clips and he thought it would be a good time to take a break for some fun. He made his way down to the kitchen with his gun. As he sat down he casually placed his gun on the table and waited for a reaction. When none came he realised that they hadn't even see him come in. He clapped his hands on the table and saw how the Dursleys flinched as if he had slapped them all across the face.

'What is wrong with you, you little freak. If you want to sit here you will behave like a...' Vernon stopped abruptly at the sight of the gun.

'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING BRINNGING A PISTOL INTO MY HOUSE?' He bellowed

'AARRGGHH a pistol! Vernon get it!' Aunt petunia whimpered as if it was a rat or some other freaky animal.

'Mum I want one! Dad, tell mum I can get one. If he can have one why can't I?' Dudley whined.

All Harry did was sit there and enjoy the show unfolding in front of him. That was until his stupid Uncle tried to get the charmed gun off the table. First he shot out of his seat, screamed for Dudley to grab Harry and went for the gun. Harry just laughed like a mad man and enjoyed tormenting the damned Dursleys, like they tormented him all of the time. Dudley grabbed Harry in a bear hug from behind. Harry knew they would actually try to shoot him in their state of panic, but he didn't worry too much. Aunt petunia cowered in the corner and screamed a constant string of incoherent words like, _shoot_, _police_ and he was sure he heard _slippers_ in there somewhere. Vernon grabbed the gun and aimed at Harry but realised he couldn't get a good shot because Dudley was too close. All the while Harry laughed, he laughed an eerie, psycho laugh, just for show. Dudley pulled back his fist and hit Harry in the ribs. He fell down in a heap and stopped laughing with a look of pure hatred and loathing on his face.

'Not laughing any more are you, you little freak. Lets see you laugh this down.' Vernon cackled with glee.

He aimed the gun at Harry's mouth and fired it. Harry started laughing again because not one of the shots that Vernon fired even came close to Harry. They just disappeared. His Uncle gave a yell of frustration and shot towards the window, needless to say it sailed right through and shattered it into a million pieces. Harry pulled himself up and said 'Activate'. Instantly the voice activated Floating Charm he placed onto his shoes kicked into action and he lifted a few feet off the ground into the air. Next his robes started to flutter as if there was a hurricane in the house. He looked at Uncle Vernon's scared face and laughed again. He screamed 'Return' and the gun flipped and shot forward into Harry's outstretched hand. He caught it deftly and aimed at uncle Vernon. He whispered 'Deactivate' and Harry gently floated down and his robes returned to normal again. He couldn't keep it in any longer and he broke down, started to laugh while trying to flee to the refuge of his room.

'DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY? I'L KILL YOU, YOU FREAKISH LITTLE TWAT!' He heard uncle Vernon scream but was cut off instantly when Harry snapped his door closed. He spent the next half an hour to try and stop laughing but couldn't help it. _It was about time_ he thought _to get back at them for all the years they tormented me_. With a huge grin on his face, Harry drifted off to sleep.

Harry slept a little later than he usually did needing a lot of energy for the study he was going to be doing. Harry sat up upright in his bead rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out. He reached for his glasses and slipped them on as he got out of bed. Deciding not to risk a shower after the little episode of the previous day, he got straight down to the idea he had. Harry slumped over to the trunk that Dumbledore had given to him and started rummaging around for a specific book. It took about ten minutes of scanning the covers of the hundred books that were in there. Until he finally found what seemed to be the right tome: 'One spell to Charm them All' by Wartimes Frodo _Hmm, that sounds somewhat familiar_.

Harry opened the book and started reading through it. That only lasted a minute though when he realised. _What the hell am I doing?_ Remembering that he had a spell that would get this done a LOT quicker. He started the spell falling back into that familiar bliss which he studied in. The tome not being that thick, it only took an hour to complete, leaving Harry in zombie mode once again. So Harry set his alarm for one and a half hours so that he could continue his work, and fell asleep on his bed.

When he awoke he was somewhat refreshed and got up to start working again. Harry recalled the book into his mind briefly looking for the right charm. Once he found it he was quite shocked at the level of difficulty and the time it would take to complete it. The first thing, all of which had to be followed in order, was to engrave the spell he wished to imbue upon his bullet, into the bullet itself. The next was to brew a complex potion that would take another half an hour. Which would be followed by ten minutes of wand movement before the actual incantation is cast.

With the order in mind, Harry sharpened his wand point with a spell and started engraving the words _Wingardium Leviosa _along the length of the bullet point. When he completed that he started brewing the potion, which involved a series of tedious heat changes but luckily only used basic ingredients. After he had completed the potion, Harry got onto the hard part. The actual wand movements of the spell. This needed to be performed perfectly throughout non-stop for ten minutes. _This is probably why you don't get spell casting weapons _Harry thought to himself. When Harry started he realised that because of his new spell he didn't have a problem remembering any of the movements required. After ten minutes of waving his wand in tiring, complex patterns and shapes, Harry was finished and stuck the tip of his wand into the liquid of the cauldron and clearly spoke the words of the levitating spell that was engraved onto his bullet. What happened next excited and disappointed Harry. The liquid in the cauldron turned into acid green feathers, which floated into the air out of the cauldron, and became liquid again. The liquid then shot down and disappeared into the bullet lying next to the cauldron on the floor.

Recalling his book again, Harry remembered it saying that if the object the charm was placed on was to make a forceful contact with anything it would cast the imbued spell onto the target. This is why Harry chose this specific Charm to put on his bullet, thinking that it was perfect. Harry was about to reach down for the bullet when it turned the same acid green of earlier. It took about ten seconds before it changed back to silver but leaving the incantation engraved on the bullet in acid green. Coming to the conclusion that it was over, Harry reached down and picked the bullet up, placing it in the top of his clip.

Praying that this would work he aimed the gun towards the spell absorber and fired. The bullet sliced through the air and hit the shield with a force. As per usual the shield rippled and flickered a bright blue. Harry gave a disappointed sigh and was turning away from the shield when suddenly the blue changed into the green of a successful spell, then back to blue and again to green. It was almost as if the shield was confused about what kind of attack it was hit with. It kept changing back and forth between green and blue but it finally came to a conclusion and settled on a blue-green tint before it turned back to it's original form.

Happy with his results, Harry decided he would try more complex spells on his bullets at a later stage. Harry walked over to his bed and slumped down in exhaustion. He closed his eyes in deep thought trying to concentrate on how he was going to accomplish his next goal. Harry realised with a shock that Dumbledore had proved once again that he didn't believe that Harry was capable of mature decisions. As grateful as Harry was for what Dumbledore did for him, he couldn't help but notice the true intentions behind his actions. His anger started to bubble up in him.

_That old fool tricked me again! _Harry started to think back to the day the Dumbledore arrived in his room.

_Firstly Dumbledore was there a lot earlier than I actually expected. Which I at first thought was an attempt to rebuild our trust that he had obliterated at the end of last year._

_Second, I attempted to prove to him that I had grown up and could handle a lot more responsibility._

_Third, after my explanation to him, he stood up and cast the spell that I was going to request of him, without a second thought, and told me to use it responsibly..._

_Coming to think of it. He jumped up and cast the complex spell on my room before I could even ask it of him. I was happy that he saw my intentions without asking, and I thought that I was successful but on the contrary. He just distracted me from my original intentions. He took advantage of me, making me think I had the advantage and confined me to this room in an attempt to keep me under the wards for longer. He probably realised that I would be unhappy by being restricted to my room. So he distracted me into thinking that I got what I wanted._

Harry's thoughts were still jumbled but he was starting to figure out the true intentions of his Headmaster. Harry's anger was rippling through him like a raging inferno. His anger felt like it was attracting all heat to his skin just to physically prove his anger. He took a few very deep breaths of the cold air around him and started to calm down. _Lets see just how stupid that old man really is._ With that thought Harry threw open the trunk of books and starting scanning through them like his life depended on it.

Finally after what seemed like hours of quick scanning Harry found the book that he thought would have what he needed. It was a very old and mouldy tome with a rusted buckle keeping it closed. Harry tried to open it, but didn't succeed. So he reached for his wand and cast a quick Unlocking Charm. It sprang open and sent a note gently soaring to a place near the book. Harry ignored this and was prying this book for the information he needed with the help of his Memory Charm.

After an exhausting two hours of determined knowledge cramming he had discovered the spell he was looking for. Again he was recalling what he had just read. The spell he was going to cast was a magical signal jammer. The book explained that the ministry had a magical map of Britain that detects any magical signatures but only responds to underage magic. The map is permanently observed by magical means and automatically sends out an owl to the offender with a warning stating the spell cast and by whom the spell was cast. The spell Harry wanted to cast on him changed his magical signature, to that of someone of age that had linked his or her signature to the spell.

_Not as cunning as you thought you were, eh?_

With one last thought back to the theory he started the wand movement and clearly spoke the incantation. Pointing the wand at his face a purple light emitted from the point of his wand and covered his body in a small dome of light before it disappeared.

Harry was really excited but equally exhausted from the events of the whole day. So deciding that he would try out his new magical signature first thing in the morning, he took off his shirt, crumpled onto his bed and passed out.

_Cold... So cold..._

Harry couldn't help but awake with an exciting tingle in his stomach on the last day of his third week of the holiday. He pulled his covers over his head to block the sunlight out but was greeted with the smell of his 'manly' odours.

_First things first_ he thought. After a quick shower he got dressed and went down stairs for a small snack before the Dursleys awoke. He silently crept upstairs and got his wand before going outside. As excited as he was he took a jog down to the park where he figured it would be mostly devoid of Muggles. When he reached the park, to his surprise, it was completely deserted. Looking around he spotted the swing where he had sat last year before he and his cousin were attacked by dementors. He walked over to the swing, sat down in it and started to push himself forward and backward. Whilst swinging back and forth he was thinking of a spell he could cast and on what. The swing came to a halt when he got up. As he was searching around for the nearest tree he became aware of a piercing cold travelling through the air, stealing the heat away. Not the same cold you would feel when a Dementor sucked the happiness from around you... Ignoring this, he spotted a tree about ten metres away and decided what he would do. Feeling rebellious he bellowed '_Reducto'_ and watched as the red light raced off towards the tree and blew a great chunk right through the trunk of the tree. With a great crack that shattered the silence of the park, the remaining part of the trunk snapped, making the top of the tree fall to the ground.

While the damaged trunk was falling to the ground Harry's eye stretched wide by the sight behind the tree. It was stretching to a height, Harry guessed, of about four metres. It was sky blue and was pouring down an icy vapour like that of a waterfall.

Harry wasn't sure whether he was shivering because of the frozen air or of fright. All in all it looked like a badly sculptured ice statue that was gliding directly towards Harry.

(**A/N** Well I hope you people have as much fun reading this as we had writing it. Thanks to the few people that reviewed the first chapter. Every bit helps. But please, we only ask that you at least leave a short message or review after reading, as it inspires us to continue writing.

P.S. Please don't kill us because of the cliffhanger.)


	3. A Heated Discovery

**Chapter 3-A Heated Discovery**

The huge form glided menacingly towards Harry, whom stood transfixed at the sight before him. _What in Merlin's name is that thing?_ He thought while taking a step back. It shot out two very long cylinders of ice, from its hands, directly towards Harry, who at once knew that it's intentions were not very friendly. When instinct kicked in, he ducked down, narrowly avoiding the ice and screamed '_INCENDIO'_ pointing his wand towards the hovering ice statue. The ball of fire hit it in the middle of its torso and flared into a huge fire, bigger then what Harry was ever able to produce. He watched as the fire started melting the ice, only to realise that ice turned to water and water puts out flames. As soon as the flames were gone the water that melted turned to ice once again. He sprang up as the flames distracted the thing and turned to run. It shot out one large cylinder of water that made Harry turn. It hit Harry in the torso and instantaneously turned to ice, gripping him tightly. He raised his wand in an attempt to destroy the pole of ice that was around his middle, he quickly cast a warming charm and to his relief it started to melt the ice around him. The next thing Harry knew, his hand was encased in a block of ice, connected to the statue, making it useless because the tip of his wand pointed upwards. He couldn't move anywhere and his wand was unfortunately unavailable. He tried to hit the beam of ice around his torso that was luckily still melting because of his warming charm but to no avail. The thing started coming closer and closer towards Harry who was struggling like a mad man. Harry couldn't help the shiver that overcame him; it was so cold, so cold that he saw his free hand turn blue of the icy cold surrounding the creature. As the thing came closer Harry struggled less, his muscles was stiff of the cold and his torso was burning from the piercing cold. He couldn't feel anything else except his warming charm that didn't even seemed to exist anymore.

Again, like in previous days, he could feel the currents around him; it was as if he could distinguish between the Heat and Cold particles in the air. The only place that had relatively warm air was the place around his torso where he had cast his warming charm. It looked like a light at the end of a long dark tunnel. The only thought that Harry had was that, this was it. This was the end of his story, the end of his tunnel. _Hey _he thought _the light at the end of my tunnel was the warming charm. _He could now sense how the cold was battling with the heat for dominance of the small space of air around the charm. It was fighting a loosing battle. Nearby Harry could also feel heat particles travelling outside the unaffected area of the giant. He placed his hands on the ice surrounding his torso and concentrated. Willing all of the heat particles that were still struggling and taking the last bit left in the air. He could feel it, the surrounding particles obeying him and trying to form a sphere where his hands were. Battling to get to where his hand was, the heat was building around the ice. With a BANG the ice around his torso exploded in a wave of powerful heat. Almost instantly they were willed up to his wand hand and destroyed that ice as well. As Harry turned to run he heard a few faint pops all around him but was concentrating far to hard to actually care. He staggered backwards, hit the swing and sunk down to a small ball shivering and clutching his right hand to his chest.

_'AESTUS ESTUS, ADURO FRIGUS'_ He heard Dumbledore bellow. He saw the elemental changing colour to a fiery red and then burst into bright flames like it was made of gasoline. It burned for about ten seconds and then collapsed into itself, leaving nothing but a wet trail where it moved around and a burned patch of grass were it had stood. He looked up and saw about half of the order standing in a circle around Harry, wands out and ready to fight. Once the threat was gone, thanks to Dumbledore, Molly ran to Harry and enveloped him into a tight Molly trademark Hug.

'Oh Harry dear you feel frozen' she said and shouted to the rest of the people standing around. 'Come over here and heat him up, damn it!' They all stood closer and cast warming charms on Harry. At once Harry stopped to shiver and felt the warming charms do their magic. Mrs Weasley held onto him for dear life and he could hardly get any breath but he felt safe all the same.

'I'm fine Mrs. Weasley, really, just a bit cold.'

'Nonsense.' She scolded and added softer 'you were just attacked by an Ice Elemental, how can you just be cold? Lie still and get warm dear, it will be alright.'

'Okay, but can I just breathe please?' He asked hoping to get some air.

'So sorry dear, here take this.' She conjured up a warm and fluffy looking blanket and handed it to him. He took it and wrapped it around himself while sitting up a bit. He looked around and saw all the people staring at him with concern on etched their faces

'Thanks, it nearly had me.' Harry said, hoping to break the silence.

'Harry, can you please explain to me why the tree is toppled over and how you got away before we intervened?' Dumbledore asked, in his quest to find all knowledge on the planet.

'I tried to blast it to pieces.' Harry spat out through his teeth 'And I cast a warming charm on me before it got me.'

'Harry! You do realise that Fudge still wants your wand and you know you cant do magic outside of your room?' Dumbledore said again with an unreadable expression.

'With all do respect, _sir_' Harry spat the words 'I WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD IF I HADN'T DONE MAGIC!' The gasp that ran through the small crowd at his harsh words was somewhat disgruntling for Harry because they had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.

'Why aren't there ministry owls already?' Dumbledore asked more to himself 'surely there would be, they monitor this area the most in all of Britain.'

Harry conjured, right in front of Dumbledore's hooked nose, a cute little wooden owl statue.

'Well it seemed we solved that problem now didn't we?' He said in a sweet, sarcastic voice

As Dumbledore inspected the owl and announced 'Holly wood, finely crafted, original ministry crest and, Oh my, a letter.' He inspected the letter and looked at Harry with a twinkle in his eye 'This is complex magic Harry, I believe Professor McGonagall will be pleased with it.'

'Goodbye sir, I will just go home now if you don't have a problem with it.' Harry retorted, not in the mood for any of them. He wanted to go home and figure out what had happened to him.

'Thanks Mrs. Weasley, thanks for everything' He said handing her blanket back and stood up. 'Thank you all for the help, but it won't be needed again. I don't want anyone hurt on my account again.' He trailed off.

Harry started to walk back when he heard the faint pops as the Order member's Disapperated.

'Harry! Harry, wait up.' He heard someone yell. He turned around and saw Tonks and Lupin jogging towards him.

'I don't think anything will attack me anymore today.' He said.

'We didn't come to protect you Harry, we thought you wanted some company.' Tonks said, with hurt in her voice.

'Oh… Sorry. I'm still a little edgy about the attack.' He said and then he thought about what the Dursleys would say when two full-grown wizards came into their house.

'I don't think the Dursleys will, err, _like_ it if you come.' Harry said.

'I wouldn't worry about that if I were you Harry.' Lupin said wile winking at Tonks. She nodded and scrunched up her face to a confused expression and then started to morph into Aunt Petunia.

'What do you think Harry?' She asked while winking at him

'It will be priceless. I've never thought of that.' Harry laughed.

When they knocked on the door of Number 4. Dudley answered it and almost fell over at the sight. Harry stood there with a smug expression; While Tonks (Aunt Petunia) was hanging onto Lupins' arm as if they had already been together for years.

'Mum, What are you doing with that freak?' Dudley squeaked like a pig.

'Oh, Ickle Dududums, Mummy got herself a fine young werewolf friend of Harry. Ooooo I can already hear him howling.' She said in an exited, yet convincing voice. She stood on her toes and planted a big wet kiss onto Lupins' cheek leaving an outline of her lips because of the lipstick on her lips.

'DADDY! DADDY, MUMMY has gone MAD!!!' Dudley screeched. Uncle Vernon came bursting through the door to look and almost fell over in shock.

'YOU FREAK!!! STOP CORRUPTING MY FAMILY!!!' He ran forward to Lupin with his fist raised, ready to strike him when just then the real Petunia shrieked

'Vernon come in, the neighbours, think of the neighbours!' Vernon stopped in mid stride and swung around to face another Petunia Dursley. He looked towards Lupin and then back towards the Aunt Petunia behind him. At that moment Tonks burst out laughing and morphed back to her usual self. Aunt petunia shrieked, clearly forgetting about the neighbours.

'What the hell do you think you are doing, you evil, ugly beast?' Tonks then abruptly morphed to an old woman with wrinkled skin, hooked nose and wart on the very tip. (The way most muggles stereotype a witch.) And announced in a creaky voice

'It was nice meeting you Petunia, Vernon always a pleasure. Ooooh, and my favourite icle dudders. Come on and give me a nice big hug.' Dudley looked downright terrified. He screamed and ran into the house closely followed by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.

'Well that went well.' Lupin said with glee. They entered the house and went to Harry's room.

'Goodness Harry, I thought your room was a mess last year!' Tonks said with amusement

'Yeah well, I've been rather busy you know. With Voldemort out for my skin and so on, have to study hard.' He said casually.

'All good and well but you can't live like an animal.' Lupin teased, still chuckling from their escapade at the door.

'I'm not trying to make my room as filthy as possible. It just happens when you work hard and loose track of time.' He said in a pompous know it all voice.

'Well Mr. Potter if you are so intelligent why don't you show it hmm?' Tonks asked in a formal fashion.

'Every person has his secrets. I mean look at you, you probably turn into a handsome hunk and look at yourself nake…' He never finished that sentence because Tonks grabbed a pillow and bind it to his face, effectively blocking his speech. Tonks' hair was a curios shade of red and turned redder as Harry freed himself from the pillow and burst out laughing.

'Y-you a-a-actually do that?' Harry asked, with tears of mirth streaming down his face 'Really Tonks I was only joking you know.' He said composing himself a bit.

'So who is this mystery man?' Harry asked 'Lupin?'

When Tonks' hair turned fierce red and her face following suite he couldn't help himself, he laughed and fell onto his bed panting for air. When his eye caught sight of Lupin's red face he laughed even harder, trying, but to no avail to stop.

'Potter SHUT THE $## UP. I'll get you for that.' Tonks screeched and started to fling multiple curses at him. He jumped up and dodged most of the barrage but a few minor hexes still hit him. He ran for cover behind his desk and cast a protection spell hoping it would hold. When Tonks jumped over the chair she began another barrage he knew his shield would never hold. He jumped up and ran to the other side of his room with a rather sharp arrow following him and screamed '_ACCIO SHIELD' _the "spell absorber" Whistled through the air and came to a halt right in front of Harry. He quickly cast an animation spell on it and it obeyed his every command. It sprang in front of every spell and absorbed it. As the green light from the shield became brighter, Tonks just flung more and more curses of varying power towards it. The shield was by now such a bright green that Tonks had to scrunch up her eyes to see Harry clearly. Harry took this as his opportunity and screamed

'_NECTO!'_ The spell hit Tonks in the stomach and cords of air started to expand over her body, binding her successfully. While Tonks started to calm down he released the binds and said

'Sorry Tonks, I didn't mean to make you feel that bad but you had to admit it was pretty funny!'

'Damn it, I will get revenge either way. You mark my words Potter, I will get my revenge!' Tonks said, still a little red in the face.

'Well, that was something. Can we talk about something like the weather now?' Lupin asked also hoping to forget the whole ordeal.

'So… Harry, how did you learn to fight like that? I threw everything I got at you. And what were those binds, and the shield? It was pretty neat!' Tonks said in her usual playful self.

'Learning to fight… experience. Shield; Dumbledore gave it to me. Binds; A nifty little spell I learned about during the summer. See I told you I have been studying.' Harry said enjoying the change of subject.

'Harry, have you heard that all the educational degrees Umbridge brought up was revoked and your ban as well. Your broom is with Professor McGonagall at the moment.' Lupin said with enthusiasm

'Cool, I'll collect it from her later. Does that mean I can play again? Although I will probably have to try out for the team again.' Harry said.

'I'm sure you can get you're position back.' said Tonks

Later that day Harry, Lupin and Tonks sat around his room still chatting about anything in general, just having a good time.

'Why don't we get something to eat? I'm starving.' Lupin suggested to Harry and Tonks.

'Yeah, and I can clean my room while we wait.' He said casting a look at one particular filthy corner where he had turned his trunk upside down the previous day.

'I'll owl them for fly away's' Tonks said walking to Hedwig who hooted in recognition 'Yes, you clever girl it is me. Harry you have an incredibly intelligent owl.'

'I know, she was taught the hard way.' Harry said. 'The Dursleys. Did you know Uncle Vernon almost drowned her the first time she flew to me outside of my room? She thought she had done something wrong and accepted her fate until I saw what was happening and screamed to Uncle Vernon to let her go. She deftly flew out of his hands and landed on my shoulder when she realised I didn't think she had done something wrong.'

'There aren't many owls who are that intelligent, you know.' Lupin said, impressed with the beautiful snowy white owl.

'Hagrid gave her to me. My first and best gift ever. That's how I know Hagrid knows his animals.' Harry said while looking Hedwig in the eye. She flew over to him and made herself comfortable on his shoulder.

'Harry you were eleven when Hagrid met you, how could it be your first gift?' Tonks asked in a shocked voice.

'If you rule out the napkins and toothpicks they gave me, I only got one cupcake from them. But unfortunately Dudley ate it before me.' He said shrugging his shoulder.

'That's just disgusting Harry, I'll talk to Dumbledore.' Lupin said clearly not impressed with the Dursleys.

'No, don't. Please, I don't want his sympathy.' Harry said 'Aren't you going to order food for us?'

'Yeah, Hedwig come here girl.' Tonks said 'will you take this to Mrs. Figg so she can Floo the message through?' Hedwig hooted, grabbed the parchment out of her hand and flew out of the window.

Tonks and Lupin sat down and started talking about the newest replacement in the "Weird Sisters" band while Harry started to clean his room. He finally started on his corner and placed the books back into the trunk when he noticed the letter that had fallen out of the book yesterday. He picked it up and started to read.

_Dear Harry_

_If you are reading this you had probably just stumbled onto the book or you realised that I had taken advantage of your eagerness to be able to do magic and sought it out. Before you get mad or angry with me I want to explain first._

_When I heard from Mr. Weasley that you wanted to see me, I had an idea what you wanted to ask of me. After I thought about it I knew you were responsible enough to have the charm but you were still angered at me, and you were still grieving the loss of your Godfather. I decided to place the book in the trunk so you could find it at a later stage. You have to understand that I have done so because I knew you would find it eventually and cast the spell. I gave you the charm so that it would help you to think about everything and come to terms with it._

_Every person has a stage when they have to choose their own path and I believe that stage in your life has come. I didn't want to jeopardise your path by too much freedom so hopefully you can understand that and not have my throat for it. I was only doing it with your best intentions at heart._

_Albus Dumbledore._

'Shit, Shit, I have to write a letter now.' He announced urgently to Tonks and Lupin whom looked shocked at his outburst. He grabbed a quill and parchment and wrote an apology to Professor Dumbledore for his treatment at the park, earlier that day.

'Tonks when are you going to see Professor Dumbledore again?' He asked urgently.

'We have an Order meeting tonight because of the attack, at seven.' She stated, unsure of what Harry wanted to do.

'Give this to him as soon as you see him. It is, err, rather important.' He said hoping Tonks wouldn't pry into his motives, because he is rather embarrassed of his childish behaviour.

'Um ok, but what is it about if I may ask?' She said worried.

'Nothing to do with life or death, just important.' He said seeing her look 'It is something between him and me.'

'Um, okay we'll give it to him Harry, don't worry.' Lupin said.

'Hah don't worry. Did you see how you looked a moment ago?' Harry joked, changing the topic.

'Well, what did you expect? You read a letter and started cursing, obviously we're going to worry.' Tonks said indignantly.

After they ate their supper Lupin and Tonks bade their goodbye's and went to 12 Grimauld place. Harry sat down and thought about what had happened when the ice elemental attacked him. He could have sworn that he was controlling the warming charm he had cast. _But that's impossible_ he thought _I learned about warming charms in my second year and I know they follow you around but you can't control them. _He got up and went to the bathroom after he realised that he was attacked and hadn't even showered yet.

As he turned on the water he got the same sensation as before, that the hot air is there, waiting to be commanded. He felt as if he knew exactly were the small pieces of hot air was. He could almost sense the battle raging at microscopic proportion between hot and cold, fighting to be dominant, to give off most of their temperature. He shrugged it off and stepped into the spray of water. As he showered the sensation continued, he felt aware of every particle of hot air. He thought about what had happened earlier the morning. _I willed the hot air together._ As soon as he thought that, he felt the difference in the air, it was almost as if the particles had started to spring around spontaneously. He willed them together and it happened again. The hot air came together into a bigger, much bigger, sphere and stayed in the palm of his hand. He willed it to move and move it did. It obeyed his every thought, his every command. He jumped out of the shower after he turned of the taps and ran to his room with a bathrobe around him. Once he got inside he shut the door and locked it magicly. He again willed the heat together with the same results. He moved it to and fro amazed at the whole thing. It looked like the air that is released right above the flames of a fire or in a desert if you were to look at the horizon. The same heat waves came to life every time there were enough warm particles at one place. He tried to get it as hot as possible and reached out his hand. He yanked it back as soon as it hit the heat waves because of the incredible heat. He felt right next to it the icy cold air, deprived of heat. So he started to play around with it. He checked how far he could let it go before it disappeared, he looked how much of a radius he had an effect on and he saw that he was better already than he was when he began. It was rather cool he thought that he couldn't only make it into a sphere but all shapes and sizes. He made it into a barrier and then into a nice, luke warm sphere around him. He then made a ball of concentrated heat about the size of a Quaflle and moved it to piece of spare parchment. It started to smoke and then burst into flames about two seconds later. The air around him was rather cold so Harry thought that he would let nature do its job for the rest of the night and went to bed after he dressed.

Because Harry hadn't follow his normal routine of relaxing on a Sunday, he decided that he would take the Monday off. After he dressed he went off to breakfast only to be greeted by the Dursleys' death stares. He decided that it was not a very good idea to eat here because it would definitely turn into a rather too exiting breakfast for Harry's liking.

As he went to his room he decided since the Dursleys were at the kitchen table he would watch a little bit of television. As he sat down he heard Uncle Vernon leaving for work and Dudley going to his room to break some other new and expensive toy. Aunt petunia yelled at Dudley that she was going to the shops and he should keep Harry in line. Harry laughed silently by himself and stood up to go to his room but something caught his attention on the T.V. It was a rather violent war documentary with too much blood for Harry, but he saw what they used and it appeared to be rather effective. The plain old Muggle hand grenade could be rather useful if you placed a charm or two on them. He thought for a moment and decided that his agenda was to full to even try to experiment with it but he knew someone that could have a rather fun time with it. After he walked to his room he started to write a letter to his friends in mischief and mayhem.

_Dear Fred & George_

_I have a proposition for you. After watching a Muggle T.V. show I saw them using hand grenades. Basically it is a metal ball with explosives in it that explodes when you detonate it, effectively adding some men to the K.I.A. list._

_I was wondering if you could come up with something similar to that. The same concept only magical, something like your swamp, instead you could make it sticky goo that can slow down and harm some Death Eaters. There are rather a lot of things you can do with it and it is for a good cause. I've gotten a rather useful book that explains how charm a solid object. I'll send you the book but if you are done with it you must return it to me or Dumbledore._

_Hopefully you can see the possibilities the same way as I do, because it can be rather useful. Oh yeah can you send me a pack of your selection of pranks. (I'm running low.)_

_Harry._

He folded up the letter and shrunk the book to look like a small pack of cards. After he gave Hedwig the money for his pranks, he tied the book to her leg and gave her the letter. She flew out of the window when Harry saw another thing in the sky. It was a brown owl heading straight for Hedwig, diving towards him at an incredible rate.

'Hedwig watch out!' Harry screamed but she didn't seem to hear him. She flew on as if nothing had happened. Harry pulled out his wand and took careful aim and then he remembered his gun. He placed a far range bullet (charmed to loose momentum only after hitting a target) into the clip. He placed a scope charm onto the top of his gun and took aim. All that he learned about shooting came into place. He moved to the windowsill, placed the gun onto it and made himself ready to shoot whatever is trying to kill his beloved owl.

As he watched the owl come close to Hedwig she quickly dodged to one side dropped the letter out of her talons and set course for the other owl who tried to attack her. She gave an ear-piercing screech and dived towards the offending owl, talons outstretched ready to strike. When she got close she stopped and flew underneath the owl breaking its fall. She flew to the ground grabbed the fallen letter and raced back to Harry. As the owls came close, Harry stretched out his hands and caught the bundle of feathers. He saw with a start that it was an unconscious Errol that "attacked" Hedwig. He was still impressed with Hedwig's fighting abilities but paid no attention to her. He grabbed a bowl of water from Hedwig's perch and placed it right next to the fallen owl. '_ENERVATE'_ He muttered pointing his wand at the owl. He opened his eyes and gave a small hoot, tucked out his leg showing the message.

'Don't worry about it now.' He told her 'I'll look at it later. Here drink this.' He placed the bowl of water right under his beak and he gave a grateful hoot and took a long drink. Hedwig flew over to Harry's bed and fetched his pillow dropping it right in front of Errol. After the exhausted owl stopped drinking Harry placed him gingerly onto the pillow and placed the bundle onto his table, letting the poor thing sleep. He untied the message to see who sent it.

_Dear Harry_

_How is it going there? I heard you where attacked! You just can't have one normal summer can you? I'm not writing this letter for any apparent reason, only dieing of boredom and it was the first thing that came to mind._

_What happened there? How can you get away with underage magic whilst last year the ministry was there the second you did it? If you know you have to let me know, it can be handy to use something on Ron. He got a rather long letter from Hermione and from then on he couldn't stop talking about her like 'I wish Hermione was here, then she could help me with my homework'. It is driving me crazy plus Fred and George aren't here anymore to make the place fun. When are you coming over? Because come over, you will. I can't live with Ron like this any longer and Hermione is at her parents overseas. What would you like for your birthday because I have no idea what to get you? I can't stand the damn Order and Mum. Every time they have a meeting Ron and I have to leave, I can't sit around while other people are in danger. It's a war, we all have to work together and I can't even practice over the summer because of the stupid underage magic rule. Sorry I'm rambling but it is frustrating, it's inevitable that we will have to defend ourselves again and I want to be prepared next time._

_Sorry to take my frustrations out on you but who else? Hermione will say take a book while Ron will say to do what Hermione says. There I go again, sorry. I'll ask Professor Dumbledore tomorrow if you can at least come over for your birthday. Hopefully he says yes because this is the worst summer in a long time._

_Love_

_Ginny_

_P.S. can you please give Errol a bit of water? She looked ill when I sent the message and I wasn't supposed to use her but Pig was away to Hermione._

After Harry read the letter he laughed silently. Typical Ginny to be bored without Fred and George around. He decided that he would have to talk to her sometime about doing magic. He walked over to his trunks where he stored his potions in a small box he enlarged. He searched the compartments and came up to the 'replenishing' potion. He looked further and found a strengthening potion. He quickly labelled them and wrote instructions on them while giving Errol a bit of the replenishing potion for the return trip. Next he wrote a reply to Ginny.

_Dear Ginny_

_Everything is going all right around here. The Dursleys are leaving me alone because of the warning from the Order but I contributed to it with a few pranks of my own. I really don't know when I'll be able to come but thanks for the invitation; it would be nice to be with my friends again._

_The attack was rather unexpected but I managed to escape. I didn't even know that one could become so cold. And here I thought that playing Quidditch in the rain was cold. If it weren't for the warming charm I wouldn't have made it. Unlike last year when I was attacked someone was here at least and it turned out to be fun. Did you know that Tonks likes to play pranks and good ones at that? You could probably tell Fred and George, I think they will like it. As for the underage magic, I'll tell you when I see you next. I know just the thing you can do to Ron. Owl Fred and George and tell them that you want their "co-parchment". It is parchment that is two way and you can write on it and it will appear on the partner and if they want money tell them I said you should take it, they can see it as part of their debt repaid. I wont say nothing more there and don't let your mother see it. Tell Ron the other one is at Hermione while you keep it. Do the same to Hermione, she can do with a good joke or two. Sit back and enjoy the replays that you will send back to them like 'stop irritating your sister always talking about me' or 'Hermione I hope you know I busy read Hogwarts: a history' but don't take it to far! I know exactly how you feel about the order and everything. Once we are back at Hogwarts we can start the D.A. again and train properly._

_Thanks for going to ask Dumbledore for me; it will be nice to be at the burrow again._

_Harry_

_P.S. I put some potions in for Errol that you can give him before every journey he takes. It will give him the proper strength needed for it. He was completely knackered when he came here._

He tied the letterto Errol and sent the two owls off again.

The next day Harry woke up to the sound of gentle tapping on his window and saw Hedwig there waiting to be let in. He got up and opened the window letting Hedwig fly in and perch onto his shoulder. He untied the letter and read.

_Dear Genius_

_Where the hell do you come up with the ideas? This is plainly ingenious, the book you sent us is great, we can already think of all the things we can do._

_We have already started to make things for the Order but you gave the best idea yet. We think even the Auror department will want to buy these things. We will make loads of money you do realise it. If you were here we would have kissed you but unfortunately we can't._

_We will use it only if you accept our terms, that you take 45 percent of the total income of this sale._

_Fred & George_

_P.S. here is your prank pack. Some aren't tested out so try it on your cousin and tell us how it worked._

He thought about what spells have come in most useful in the past and came to a conclusion that the stunning spell was by far the most useful. Stunning a person with a hole in them can be dangerous but they certainly won't think twice about hurting a person, you have to be able to take what you can give!

He started to work on his new bullets and decided after the second one that he can't go on like this; he has to find a way to make more bullets in less time. He thought about the book and realised that the potion has a shelf life of twelve months, which will definitely prove to be useful, he can make a huge batch and then just use the spell when he needs bullets.

After his tenth batch of an enlarged cauldron he was sore, exhausted and dreadfully hungry. He thought he would try something he learned in a book about magical cooking. If he recall correctly he has to know were all of the ingredients is and the cutlery. This was proving to be the easiest part because of the inhumanly clean household (excluding Harry's room) of the dursleys. He concentrated hard on the things and pictured in his minds eye what he wanted to happen. He hoped that it would work otherwise it will be one humongous mess in the kitchen, but decided to try anyway. _'ACCIO FOOD'_ he said and waited for a while to give the food time to travel. He opened the door and saw the perfect sandwich he pictured right in front of him and made a mental note to use this natty little spell more often. After he wolfed down his food he went to take a shower but was interrupted by Dudley who seamed to beat that poor old Mark Evans up again. He looked on with disgust and went to the window to put a stop to his hounding once and for all.

'Dudley, leave him alone!' Harry shouted out of the window.

'Stay out of it Potter!' Dudley screamed back 'He was asking for it for a long time now!'

'Come down here and do something about it, criminal!' one of Dudley's cronies yelled.

'Coming' Harry said back and moved away from the window. He calmly placed his wand into his belt and went down the stairs to confront "Big-D" and his gang. After he placed an anti-physical damage charm on his face and stomach he stepped out of the front door. He ignored them and went to Mark lying prone on the ground with a nasty cut above his left eye and helped the little boy, about half his size, to a sitting position.

'Do you need anything now or can I deal with them first?' he asked indicating towards Dudley with his free wrist.

'Do you think you can take care of us, here on our turf? You won't run to your room on us will you?' Dudley sneered that reminded Harry too much about Malfoy.

'Dudley, when are you going to learn that you don't have a turf, well not you anyway?' Harry drawled as if it was the most common thing for all kids to know.

'You know you can't do your stupid freakish stuff here. It is illegal.' He said just to make sure.

'I don't intend to, icle duddydims, mummy's favourite doodle' Harry said in a small voice.

'Take him! What are you waiting for?!' Dudley screamed and took a shot at Harry's nose, whom had made no attempt to move away. Dudley's fist made contact with Harry's nose and Dudley probably thought it would knock him out because he started to turn around with a smirk. Harry slapped him on the back of his overly big head and laughed at the look on Dudley's face. Dudley's right hand man grabbed Harry from behind and screamed.

'Take him, I'll hold him!' They wasted no time in turning and running towards Harry, fists raised ready to hit a defenceless boy. _They surely know how to fight dirty _he thought and looked with amusement as they hit him in the stomach with unsuccessful results. He quickly made a rather "hot spot" around them all and broke free. He sought out Dudley and gave him a rather hard whack on the nose that made him topple over backwards _hmph, the martial arts books I learned is coming in handy. _He deftly ducked a blow from behind that penetrated his detection charm and let him know where to move. He turned in a crouched position and swiped the stupid boy right of his feet. He jumped backwards and saw the rest of them coming towards him slowly, so he decided to try the element of surprise and ran forth. As he drew within hitting range he took a leaf out of Hedwig's book and dodged to the right lowering him self to torso length shouldering the boy on the side in his stomach. He spun around with his foot raised and successfully initiated a roundhouse kick to the boy in the centre's shoulder letting him stumble backwards falling over Dudley who started to stand up again. He looked at the last boy standing and slapped him around with his left hand with him trying to fend it off while Harry concentrated on his right hand at his side ready for a punch. He could almost feel the magic manipulating his muscles making them stronger. Harry could swear they were stronger but when he let loose he knew it was. He hardly saw his hand racing towards the boy's chest and when it had made contact he felt the magic in his arm doing what his own muscles couldn't do. He knocked the poor soul right off his feet who flew three meters backwards landing flat on his back with a thud and a groan. Dudley and his gang looked at Harry as if he had suddenly grown a second head, all with terrified expressions on their faces.

'Now that that's done we can talk.' He said and saw, to his amusement that none of them could utter a response. 'If I hear about anyone of you ever terrorising the streets or threatening a kid smaller than you I will come after you and make sure you don't ever want to set foot outside of your room ever again. Do you get me?!' He screamed the last part to invoke more fear in them. 'Now, say sorry and head off home. Help your mum bake cookies or something.'

After an almost inaudible "sorry" they all went their separate ways leaving only Harry and Mark there.

'Are you alright?' Harry asked the small boy who had a huge smile on his face

'Yeah, that was so cool! How did you learn to fight like that?' He said in a squeaky voice.

'Times forced me to learn.' Harry said solemnly. 'Don't underestimate your own power, never do that. If you think you can do something try it, even if you think it is impossible. You'll be surprised what a person can do.' He stood up and turned around picking up two small sticks and transfiguring it, with his back turned towards Mark, into something resembling a compass. He then placed the protean charm on them and gave Mark the main one.

'This is a tracker.' Harry explained 'If you push the button on the side mine will beep and point to the direction you are in. You can use it if Dudley or any of his cronies tries to terrorise you again.'

'Thanks, I'll tell mum what you did.' He said in his squeaky voice 'She always wanted to teach them a lesson but all of their parents are rich and will win in a law suit, but this is so much better!'

'Do you need something for you eye? I got some good medicine if you want.' He asked, already leaving to get his things. He can't leave a ten maybe eleven-year-old boy bleeding to go home. After he got back with a towel he gently placed onto the cut. Mark grimaced but didn't flinch and stood there as if he is used to disinfectant on cuts.

'Here, give it to your mother; it's a healing salve. Place it on a towel like this and it will heal minor cuts like this.' He said giving him a small vile that Harry secretly enlarged so that it will last longer.

'Thanks. All the disinfectants mum puts on burns a lot and nothing works this fast.' He said

'Well see you around. We should go and get some ice cream sometime.' Harry said seriously considering it.

'Okay I'll tell my mum. See you!' He called walking away.

After he showered and gave Dudley a withering glare he started to make himself some bullets. All in all he made 23 stunning bullets and decided to call it a night. He curled up in his bed and thought about the fight earlier that day; he couldn't shake the thought of his strong punch. He could feel the magic surging through his arm and shoulders giving him strength he wouldn't have thought possible from himself. His muscles felt as if it was plainly magical, not much as strong as that. He felt sure there was enough power to knock down a wall.

The next day Harry couldn't stop thinking about it and started to search through the trunk with all of his books. After an exhausting two hours of searching he gave up hope and stumbled to his bed to take a nap only to fall over a rather huge book named _How to become the One by Morphiuz Redpill._ He was rather intrigued by the cover showing a man with black sunglasses and smooth black hair fighting against someone in a deftly suit like there is no tomorrow, hitting through stone pillars and being smashed into a wall and standing up. He scanned the contents of the ancient looking book and saw it was the same thing he was searching for.

He cast the spell when he was comfortable and fell into the same state of bliss. What he found out was rather shocking for Harry because he couldn't have imagined that what he experienced was a completely new or should he say old branch of magic? like transfiguration called Physical Magic. It was completely the opposite of the martial arts books he had learned, this stated instead of using lethal blows like hitting a person on the side of his head successfully knocking him out you can hit him almost anywhere on his body with such force that he would be knocked out by the fall either way and the best part is it is completely magical so you don't get exhausted too easily. You can jump incredibly high and use the air as sort of stepping-stone to navigate yourself once airborne. He couldn't believe that such a useful art was lost, not taught at school. Harry tried some of the small things they wrote in this book and was amazingly impressed with the quick results of this rare magic. After another ten minutes he completed in wrecking his room completely, from the chair to his mattress, everything smashed to pieces by the only thing they covered in the book for a simple demonstration, the plain good old punch. _I have to remember to write another message to Flourish & Blotts._ He made himself another sandwich from his room and after eating, repairing and cleaning his room he went to have a nap.

Harry woke up and was astounded to find it dark already then he remembered that he searched his trunk for two hours, did the memory spell on himself and wrecked his room. He remembered that he had to write a letter to Flourish & Blotts, so he made himself some hot chocolate from his room and sat down on his newly repaired chair and wrote a letter on his newly repaired table

_Dear Manager_

_I never got around to thanking you for the books you sent me; it was immensely helpful. I have another strange request for you, one you may probably never have had before._

_I need books on a branch of magic called Physical Magic. I will pay you down to the last Knut and even more for it if you don't have it in your store and have to find it elsewhere. I need the whole collection, from A to Z, every toe movement and every possible way to use it._

_As I said I would pay you every handsomely, so please can you do this last favour for me? I will send a bag along that will make it easier for the owl to deliver it._

_Yours sincerely_

_Harry Potter._

After he sent Hedwig off with the bag he started to force learn another book on useful charms.

_Dear Harry_

_I have received your message and your apology is accepted. I was rather shocked to find out that you had found the book and was still mad at me, but enough about that, it is in the past._

_After hearing from Lupin and Tonks about how important it is that you should see your friends and having a rather agitated Ms. Weasley preach to me how imperative it is that you should be able to have fun like other kids during summer time, I have but little option but to let you visit for a few days. The order will pick you up on Saturday at 2:40 PM and from there you will move to the Burrow and return to no 4 privet drive at the following Friday. I will let the Dursleys know as to when you will be gone and when you shall be returning._

_If I may make a suggestion, for your stay at the burrow, then heed my advice. Don't under any circumstances be at the wrong end of Ms. Weasleys' wrath. It can be a rather interesting experience but what can we say, she learned from the best._

_Yours Truthfully_

_Albus Dumbledore._

Harry looked at the beautiful Phoenix sitting on his bed and said

'Did you know that the rumours of Professor Dumbledore being off his rocker, is not completely false?' Fawkes trilled a shrill note that Harry thought sounded a lot like a laugh.

'Tell him that I am very thankful for this and will enjoy being with my friends once again.' He said forgetting for a moment he is talking to a bird and said sheepishly 'I should probably write it down, I forgot you are a bird, a beautiful one at that, but one nonetheless.' She sang another note with an edge to it although still beautiful and disappeared in a ball of flames leaving a feather gently floating down, but stopped about a foot above the ground. He took it and saw to his astonishment that there was writing on it. _We may be birds, beautiful ones at that, like you said but we are rather intelligent. P.S. keep this feather. It will prove to be useful combined with a Familiar._ Harry looked in awe at the disappearing golden writing and made a mental note to apologise the next time he saw that magnificent bird. He searched his trunk for the first feather and placed them next to each other. More writing appeared _A familiar Harry, Familiar one!_ And disappeared just as fast. The first feather was still a quill writing in gold so that didn't change as far as he knew. He placed the feather in a small box he quickly made and started to pack his trunks.

'Boy when are those freaks coming here?' His Uncle bellowed up the stairs to Harry who decided it would be better to wait in his room.

'At 2:40, don't worry they wont destroy your home completely.' he yelled back. After another hour of waiting Harry started to get agitated. He looked at his clock for the thousandth time and saw that it was 2:36. He couldn't figure out how they will come to get him because it is a rather strange time to make, but all those thoughts were banished from his mind the moment there came a burst of flames right in front of him. Fawkes looked him in the eye, gave him a reassuringly thrill of note dived down grabbed his trunks and all of his luggage except for Hedwig who chose to fly the trip and was therefore not there and disappeared in another ball of flames leaving another feather with a message on it that read _Use another of a Familiar_ but the text faded as soon as he read it. He didn't have time to think it through because at that same moment another burst of flames announced Fawkes' return. The Phoenix grabbed Harry's shoulders in her talons and all that he knew was the most pleasurable feeling he ever felt in his life as they sped through space and time together towards their destination. The whole time, with a warm, loving and pleasurable feeling. Add the soul lifting Phoenix song and you get the best way that Harry has ever travelled in his life and felt like this was the best way he would probably ever travel. For once Harry was perfectly happy, content and felt loved.


	4. A Leaded Reunion

**Chapter 4 A Leaded Reunion**

****

When Harry felt like that they were beginning to slow down he braced himself, he knew how difficult it was to land with a Portkey. But he instantly knew which one he preferred when his feet touched the ground; it felt like he was gently dropping down onto his feet (from toe down to heel). Like when you look over a crowd in tiptoe and come back down. He realised that the only movement he felt was when the bird picked him up, he stood on tiptoe and was coming down now in a graceful landing.

With the Phoenix song still ringing in his ear he looked around to see a crowd of red heads standing in a half moon around him, all beaming and happy. Mrs. Weasley came running towards him and gave him his second Molly Hug for the summer.

'Mrs. Weasley, can I get some air, please?' Harry asked in a daze. He felt his lungs scream in relief when she let go of him, but they gave one colossal groan when he saw bushy brown hair moving towards him at an incredible rate. Hermione made contact and he staggered a few steps back from the force of the impact.

'Hermione!' He groaned 'You're becoming worse than Mrs. Weasley.'

'Sorry Harry, I was so worried about you.' She said almost in tears 'First the start of summer and then the attack. How can you come through that and still joke around?'

'Hermione, its all right! I'm fine, really' He said earnestly. She let go reluctantly and then he saw a mane of fiery red hair pouncing towards him like a feline hunter cat. She made a surprisingly soft impact considering that he hadn't seen her coming and she actually jumped, though seemed more like a pounce, towards him.

'My lungs are going to hate all of you after this.' He said in a melodramatic voice.

'Don't you scold us little man, its natural for a woman to feel obliged to comfort the uncomforted.' She said in a mock motherly voice

'Yeah, Yeah, just kidding,' he said 'Hello Ginny, nice to see you again'

'Hello Harry, hope you will have a better summer from now on.' She said in her usual tone. After she moved away he heard, from behind, 'Harry!' and saw Fred and George running towards him arms outstretched with Ron close on their heels, mocking the females. He braced himself and felt his magic moving towards his legs, ready to stand firm. They made impact and had clearly not expected Harry to stay standing because they bounded off of him and landed on a heap of tangled limbs on the ground.

'Harry mate! No need to become aggressive. We were only sharing our love.' One of the twins said in a mock hurt voice.

'He gives us the best idea of the century and doesn't even want to give us a big hug.' The other one said faking a sniff.

'Stop it you prats and get off my legs.' Ron said clearly not enjoyingsitting on the ground as much as the twins. He stood up.

'Hello mate, do warn me if I want to run you over ever again.'

'Come on, everyone in the kitchen, lunch is waiting.' Mrs Weasley announced over the crowd. As Harry walked over, Mr. Weasley stopped him and held out his hand.

'Your only normal greeting for today seemed to be mine.' He said shaking Harry's hand.

'Thanks Mr. Weasley, it's nice to be here again.' Harry told him still chuckling a bit.

'Come over to the kitchen, Molly prepared a feast and wouldn't let any male in the kitchen, I'm rather knackered.' He said already walking over. When Harry entered the kitchen he saw food that would make the Hogwarts house elves jealous. The table was full of different kinds of luscious foods with no place to eat. There was a stack of plates to one side and cutlery right next to it.

'Mrs. Weasley how are we going to eat all of this food?' Harry asked, thinking that there was enough to feed a few hungry dragons.

'Bill and Charlie are coming over in a few minutes.' She said absently handing out plates 'They will be staying here for a few nights.'

'We're here!' They heard a voice call from the sitting room. At once Ginny was running again like a lion, towards the sound, followed closely by the rest of the crowd. He saw Bill and Charlie standing in the middle of the room being hugged by Ginny simultaneously closely followed by Mrs. Weasley.

'Hullo Mum, Ginny. Can we greet the rest of our family?' Bill asked amused. After they let go of them they greeted everyone and came to a halt in front of Harry.

'Hello Harry, nice to see you again.' Charlie said

'Yeah, how's it going?' Bill asked

'Better at your house, I'll tell you that. Your mother made enough food to feed a herd of griffins.'

The older brothers shared an amused glance and headed for the small kitchen. After the rest of the family was in, Bill said

'Charlie and I will move some of the tables outside, we'll never fit in here.' heading for the door. Harry moved away when he saw Mr. Weasley lifting all of the food off the table and hover it outside. Once outside they moved to the newly moved tables, when Harry saw that the whole pile of food was going to fall over, He quickly pulled his wand from his pocket and kept it at his side pointing towards the food and held it upright with the same spell Mr. Weasley was using. He looked sideways and saw Ginny staring at him wide eyed, with a shocked expression on her face. Harry started to panic and when the food was safely on the table he turned to her and whispered

'I'll tell you later'

'How, what, the ministry, Harry you'll get expelled' She whispered urgently back

'Ginny, I'll tell you later, please.' He begged desperately.

'Harry dear come and sit down.' Mrs Weasley called from the table. He gave Ginny one last pleading look and when she nodded her head slightly he felt at ease once again. He went over to Ron and Hermione and sat down next to them.

'So, what's news?' he asked 'Anything new?'

'Yeah, the Chudley Cannons are in favour to win against P.U. in the next match.' Ron said clearly misunderstanding Harry 'It's about time that they win again.'

'Ron!' Hermione scolded 'Harry doesn't mean that.' She shot Ron a glare and continued 'Not that we know of. The order is really secretive and nothing we tried is working to listen in on their meetings, but we know that Voldemort is out there doing things. I saw on the Muggle news that a small family near Whiningham were killed with hundreds of cuts all over their bodies. Dumbledore was in an uproar and came and went giving everyone instructions.' Harry sat there stunned._ So it has begun_ he thought _the Second War has begun._ He was glad that he was already starting to prepare for it. It was so near his house, maybe trying to draw him out.

'At least Fudge has got his act together and listens to people. The ministry is starting to enrol new trainees for the Auror department. Mostly young people in their twenties trying to do something to save their families.' Hermione trailed off. They were so young, not that he was older but they did it out of love for their families, they didn't have a choice. 'Fudge has sent envoys to France and Japan, asking for all the help they can give.' Harry couldn't believe that this wonderful place, the magical world he belonged in was being wrenched away from him by one evil thing. He would fight and he would kill that damn Monster, even if it was just so that he could live in the magical world in peace.

'Hermione, enough, cant you see Harry is suffocating under all the new information' Ron said.

Hermione looked over at Harry and saw his face and flung her arms around his shoulders and said

'Sorry Harry, I'm so sorry.'

'Hermione' Harry said 'It's all right. Let's eat now and talk about this later.' He said hoping to postpone this conversation to a more suitable time. The rest of the late lunch was one of the most enjoyable Harry had ever had. They talked about Quidditch, school and mostly about nothing in particular. Bill and Charlie had an animated argument of who the better seeker was, Charlie or Harry.

'Harry had never lost a game for his team except once and then he was in the hospital wing.' Ginny said becoming part of the conversation.

'Me neither, except once when some stupid Slytherin hit me off my broom with his bat.' He said proudly.

'Why don't we hold a competition tomorrow and see who the best is.' Mr. Weasley said excited.

'Yeah, then I can practice at the same time.' Ron said anxiously. Harry finished off his rhubarb crumble and pushed his plate forward. He sat back and closed his eyes for a moment enjoying the atmosphere of the burrow. He felt someone looking at him and looked up to see Ginny staring at him. _She looked rather attractive in the sundown light, _he thought, but pushed the thought aside.

She leaned over the table and said 'I know how you feel. I think of how lucky I am to have such a great family and just sit there enjoying it. You know that you are part of this family as much as me or Ron, don't you?' She looked truly honest when she said her last sentence And Harry couldn't help but feel the warm feeling inside of him grow.

'Thanks Gin, I'll remember that.' he said earnestly

'Harry have you taken your trunk up to Ron's room?' Mr. Weasley asked

'Oh…no. Thanks Mrs. Weasley the food was great, I'll come help you with the dishes in a minute.' He said standing up

'No Harry dear, enjoy a free afternoon, Ron can help you tomorrow.' She said collecting the empty plate as Bill took the leftover food to the kitchen.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny went up to Ron's room with his luggage and sat around not talking about anything specific. After a while the conversation turned towards the war again.

'What I don't understand is why You-Know-Who has been reasonably quiet.' Ron was saying 'I mean last time, I heard, he was walking around killing everyone.' Everyone was quiet until Harry broke the silence.

'He is trying to gain the same amount of power like he had last time.' He said startling the rest out of their reveries. 'Plotting ways to invoke fear in the people so that there is less resistance. If the world lives in fear they cannot do anything for themselves, they do what somebody tells them. If Voldemort can induce enough fear everyone will listen to him so that they don't have to die.'

'That sounds rather nasty if you ask me' Ron said with a tint of fear in his voice.

'Ron listen to me, we cannot fall into his trap.' Harry said strongly 'If he can accomplish that then he has a free reign, free to do whatever he wants to.'

'Harry's right' Ginny said 'we stand no chance against him if it happens. I'll rather die going down fighting than living in constant fear of avoiding the inevitable.'

'We're not going to die, not if I can do something about it.' Harry said

'But Harry there is nothing you can do, you can't change the world.' Hermione said

'Even if I can't I have to try, I'll try even if it takes my life.' Harry said 'I realised something this summer. Everything has been taken from me, my childhood, parents, peace and a lot more by one mad man. He did this to countless other people and I don't want to live in a world like that. I don't want to flee. I don't want to run, so I have only one other option, to fight. There is something I haven't told you and please I want to tell you when I am ready but it is essential that you listen to me, give me advice and help me. I can't do everything alone.'

'Harry you are never alone' Ginny said 'we'll help you with what ever you ask.'

'Yeah' Ron and Hermione said in unison.

'Thanks guys.' Harry said earnestly 'Come on its holiday, lets play chess or something.' They started to play but not one of them enjoyed it. All of them thought about what was said and each, minus Harry, came to a silent resolve that they would do whatever it takes to give their part for the world. With that thought Harry's friends went to bed that night committed to their cause, and ready to do whatever it took.

The next morning Harry sat at the windowsill in Ron's room and stared at the sunrise. It was phenomenal how pretty something could be, it was there everyday so a person thought of it as ordinary and didn't stop to look at it. He went downstairs, out of the back door leading to the pond and strolled around not really thinking where he was going. He went to the small forest and sat down in a clearing thinking how he would prepare his friends for the inevitable, that they could die because he was fifty percent of the war. He heard something behind him like a footstep and tensed up waiting for something to happen. He heard it again and sprung up in a flash, feeling the magic in his legs, wand drawn pointing at the offender's head. He realised with a start that it was Ginny looking terrified down the wrong end of his wand. He released his grip on his wand and let his arm drop down his side

'Ginny!' he exclaimed 'you scared me!' She finally came out of her stupor and looked into his eyes. They were big brown orbs with endless depths holding a lot of mystery and something Harry didn't recognise.

'Sorry, I shouldn't have crept up on you. How did you move so quickly, I hardly saw you.' She said hoping to let the awkward moment drop.

'There are some things I have to come clean about.' He said before he could stop himself. There was something about her gaze that told him it was all right, safe to speak with her, you could trust her.

'Are you going to tell me?' She said in a voice with the same qualities as her gaze.

'I've been training this summer.' He told her 'I want to be ready when we get attacked again. I don't want any of you to be hurt because you are friends with me. It's something I need to do, so I've started. Dumbledore gave me books, a lot of them mind you, to train. That's why I wanted to see him. He told me things last year that I wouldn't have ever expected, so I asked him to let me do magic. He cast a spell on my room to be able to do underage magic in my room. I've been training ever since, non stop.'

'Harry, I want you to know I thought about what you said last night.' Her small voice said 'I want to do my part. My piece for the peace… what did you tell Dumbledore to allow you to do magic? I want to start training too, I don't want you to protect me, I want to be able to protect others. I don't really know why I'm telling you this.' She said smiling slightly

'It's all right, I won't tell anyone else. But please Ginny don't tell Dumbledore I told you. Our relationship is hanging on a thin thread, I don't want it to break now, and we need him in the war. I've brought my books as you asked' He said 'come on, my collection will make Hermione jealous.' They went back to the burrow walking next to each other in comfortable silence. Once Harry got his trunk with all of his books out of Ron's room they went to the orchard and sat down on the benches between the fruit trees. He gave her some of the best books that he had already completed.

'Most of these books are Dumbledore's so please be careful with them.' He said looking at a particular one he thought about reading next.

'Harry, these books are ancient!' She said with awe

'Yeah, I read all of those so you can give them to Hermione when you're done. I thought Ron would like to read this one' He pointed to a book called S_trategies For The Stratifying Strategist by Stratman O'Rourke_

'One of these books, Harry, will take Hermione at least a week to read.' She said sounding like she wanted to put some reason into his head 'It isn't possible to read this amount in the weeks you were with the Dursleys'

'I know' He grinned at her 'but its possible if you know how to read.'

'Are you implying that I can't read?!' She said as if in a challenge.

'Ginny, what will you give me if I can read all of these books here, at the Burrow, before I leave,' He said, thinking aabout the positive side. He would be motivated to do more reading. Lately he had found a lot of silly reasons to put it off. 'You can test me once I'm done.' She looked like she thought for a moment and then said

'Your position at Quidditch back?' She asked hoping for it to be enough.

'And…?' He trailed off

'I'll see.' She pouted 'I don't know yet.'

'I'll give you a pet of your choice if you finish that,' he pointed towards three huge but handy books 'and if I can test you afterwards, if you pass you don't owe me anything.'

'You don't take your bets lightly, do you?' She asked worriedly. He just grinned at her and she reluctantly agreed

'Alright, alright you win.' They read for about an hour when Hermione and Ron came out

'What are you doing?' Ron asked looking wearily at the books.

'We're reading a bit. I got these books from Professor Dumbledore, here look at this.' Harry said giving him the book. Ron looked at the book while Hermione gave a squeal of delight and immediately grabbed a book from the pile next to Ginny.

'Harry, where did you find this book?' Ron asked sitting down on the ground with his back resting against the bench

'I told you, Professor Dumbledore lent them to me.' Harry replied

'Remind me to give him a box of lemon drops when we get back to Hogwarts!' Ron said already reading the book.

'Ron!' Hermione exclaimed 'I'm so proud of you.'

Ron blushed a shade of red mumbling something that sounded like thank you.

'Harry, can I borrow these?' She asked holding a small pile of books up for him to see.

'Yeah, sure.' He said, amused with her enthusiasm.

'Thanks.' She said while standing up 'I'm going to get some parchment and a quill so that we can make notes.'

'Oh yeah, Harry, mum said there is food in the kitchen if you want some.' He said, his usual appetite forgotten

'OK thanks.' He said and went on reading thinking that he had to find some time alone to really get reading.

Later that day at lunch Charlie confronted Harry and said

'How about a game of Quidditch?'

Harry thought for a moment and said 'Sure but I don't have my broom.'

'I got it for you last night from Professor McGonagall' He said walking over to the sofa and retrieving Harry's firebolt.

'Thanks Charlie.' Harry said happily. His baby was home, safe with him again. At that moment Ron and Ginny walked through the door with their brooms in their hands and talking with Bill coming in from behind. They went outside and met up with the twins and started to play.

Because of their few numbers they improvised a bit. The beaters (twins) hit bludgers towards everybody. Bill and Ginny were chasers scoring at the same goals, but against each other, while Ron tried to defend the goals from as many of the balls as he could. Harry and Charlie were seekers doing their normal jobs, catching the snitch while Hermione was referee.

The balls were released and the players shot upward, with Harry and Charlie leaving the rest of the players behind. They played for about ten minutes when the snitch made its first appearance. Harry looked over to Charlie and saw that he was looking the other way.

Harry and Charlie immediately shot at the same time towards the golden ball. He was startled to see Charlie right next to him but realised he had only made as if he hadn't seen it. They moved towards the centre of play, where the snitch was currently hiding and weaved through the terrified players who only saw two blurs shooting towards them at incredible speed looking like they wouldn't stop for the world. Harry saw the snitch shoot towards Harry's right and he immediately changed his course to follow the elusive ball.

…He didn't see Ginny right in front of him, and when he heard a terrified scream he realised that if he didn't do something right away, that they would crash. He rolled his body towards the underside of his broom and let his feet drop. He was hanging with his two hands placed near the front and back of his broom when Ginny was right in front of him. His broom was heading right for her and moving at an astonishing speed. He dropped his left hand, which was at the front of his broom and pulled down hard with his right hand forcing the broom to point directly upwards at a 90 degree angle. This change in direction forced Harry and the broom to shoot straight up, missing Ginny by a hair's width. In fact, Harry's head scraped the front of her broom. Once Harry's feet had cleared Ginny's head, he climbed back onto the broom and brought it back down directly behind her. If you were happening to look just at that moment it would look like he Harry had gone through Ginny because it had all happened in an instant. Once Harry was on his way again, he saw Charlie a meter in front of him with the snitch about three meters in front of Charlie. He started to ascend and when he was ten feet above Charlie he pointed his broom downwards and shot towards the snitch from above, like a bird of prey.

He grabbed the snitch right out of the air only a foot in front of Charlie's outstretched hand. Once he got it he levelled his broom and did a victory lap with all of the Weasley cheering madly for him except Ginny who was still at the same place when Harry overtook her, looking petrified. He went over to her and asked with concern

'Ginny are you alright?' She looked at him and let out a huge breath she was apparently holding.

'Harry?' she asked like a child looking for someone that was lost.

'Yes Ginny, I caught the snitch.' He said holding up the ball for her to see.

'What did you do?' She asked still in a daze

'I went by you.' He said starting to worry about her.

'Oh, Okay. Give me a minute to get my mind back.' She said starting to get better. At that moment the rest of the Weasleys came towards them shaking Harry's hand vigorously.

'That was incredible Harry, how did you do it?' Someone asked within the small crowd

'Harry, couldn't you fly over her.' Another asked

'Cough up Fred.' George said. Once they landed Hermione immediately started to scold Harry for his lack of responsibility.

'Harry!' he heard Ginny scream 'you could have killed me! What were you thinking? I can't believe you would do something like that.' She screeched and started to move closer to him. As one the rest of the Weasley boys backed off a few paces, obviously knowing how bad she could be.

'Ginny, I'm sorry.' He pleaded 'It was the only thing that came to mind. I would have killed you if I didn't do it.'

'Harry please don't do anything like that again.' She said 'I almost had a heart attack!'

'Sorry.' He said sheepishly.

The next day Harry read the morning away in a secluded spot where he had cast a Confundus charm to ward off the rest of the people. He had finished a book about how to improve your aim and mostly about sharpening your duelling abilities with small things everyone tends to forget, when he heard someone calling for him. He stood up and went towards the sound to find his three friends looking around for him.

'I'm here' He called looking for them.

'Where?' he heard and remembered the charm. He walked silently around them and crept towards them from the back. They looked so fragile; he could take all of them out before they could even realise it was him. He decided a lesson was in order and cast an illusion charm onto him self so that he looked like a bush. He walked slowly closer and he saw that Ginny was the only one looking at him when he had stepped onto a dry twig. After she shrugged it off he walked closer until he was a mere meter from them. He touched Ginny on the shoulder and put his finger on his mouth telling her to be silent. Next he touched Ron who said

'Ginny stop playing where's Harry?' He looked around and saw Harry and Ginny silencing him. Next he touched Hermione on the shoulder and when she looked around she gave a yell and said

'Harry! Where did you come from?'

'I was in front of you, walked right past you and could have taken all of you out without any one of you knowing who it was.' He said seriously. He had learned one thing this summer, you can't be too careful, no matter where you are.

'It's not like someone will attack us here.' Ron thought aloud

'Why not?' Harry said seriously 'Anyone can be here, anyone.'

'Harry you're becoming worse than mad eye.' He argued

'Ron it doesn't matter.' He argued back 'The war has begun, they can be anywhere.'

'Yeah I know, I know.' He agreed defeated 'I'm not used to being on guard at my own house.'

'But it is something that we have to do.' Hermione concluded for Harry.

'I know it's not fun and we like to slack off but we can't afford it.' Harry said

'We'll try to be more careful.' Ginny whispered thinking it all through.

'What did you want me for anyway?' Harry asked

'Mum said that lunch would be ready in 10 minutes.' Ron told Harry.

Once they were inside Mrs. Weasley piled their plates full of sandwiches and put a jug of pumpkin juice on the table. While they were eating Hermione let out a squeal of excitement and bolted for the window, knocking over several chairs in her haste. Harry looked over to see what she was on about and saw that there were three owls sitting on the windowsill waiting to be let in. Harry too got up. but in a more composed manner, and went to the window a bit anxious because he knew that the owls had brought their OWL results. It was obviously their OWL results because Harry didn't know what else would need three owls, looking rather well trained, and too proper for their own good. Ron however, stayed in his chair staring holes through the table, white as chalk, not moving a muscle.

'Ron it's not going to explode in your face.' Ginny teased

'And how would you know, you didn't take owls last year' He shot back earning a few snickers from around the table.

'Because, icle Ronnikins we took it a few years back and nothing except our own spells exploded.' Fred concluded for him.

'Fred, don't forget that we charmed the examiners hat to explode in lots of green butterflies.' George added

'George, mum's here!' Fred whispered urgently

'Why didn't you tell me?' George shot back softly

'You know boys, I did the same thing' their mother said loudly 'But it was an accident, how could you! The examiners are respected people and you do something like that!' At that moment Hermione chose to intervene with an ear-piercing shriek with tears starting to well up in her eyes.

'Hermione what's wrong' He asked moving swiftly towards her 'it cant be that bad can it?' he asked but swallowed his words when she looked at him eyes big and wet looking pale. She looked back at the letter clutched in her hand, which Harry noticed was addressed to Mr. Potter. He gave a bark of a laugh and saw Hermione looking at him again. He started to open his mouth but had to close it again as Hermione fainted and fell forward. He caught her just in time before she would have hit her head on the table and gently laid her down, with Mrs Weasley pressing a wet cloth on her forehead. Harry went over to the owls and retrieved Hermione's right letter holding it in front of her when Mrs Weasley muttered '_Enervate'_. Hermione blinked her eyes and when she saw Harry again her eyes started to roll to the back of her head

'Hermione, it wasn't your letter.' He rushed the words out 'Here is yours.' Her eyes rolled back towards their normal state and looked at Harry. He held up her unopened letter for her to see and said

'You opened mine.' He gently tucked his own letter out of her clutches and opened hers for her. He passed it on towards Ginny who scanned it over and said with awe

'Almost a perfect score! Hermione you did a bit better than Percy you got twelve!' Right before Hermione could register her results there was a sharp flash of light and when Harry looked sideways he saw the twins with a camera looking joyous.

'Sorry' one of them said

'Yeah, to good to miss.' The other one said, while Hermione regained he composure and sat up looking her results over. Ron meanwhile, Harry noticed, sat there with an impish grin on his face and when Harry looked at him he said happily

'I got eight!'

'Harry you too!' Ginny screamed from where Hermione stood now also looking happy.

'That's great!' he said and turned towards Hermione 'you all right? Better than you initially thought?' She swatted him lightly on his shoulder also grinning now

'Why didn't you tell me?' she said laughing out right now

'I tried to but you fainted before I could say something.' He told her truthfully and then remembered something

'Goodness, Ginny, did I get an O in potions?'

She looked his results over once again

'Uh, no you got an E' She said looking at him. Harry couldn't help the sag in his shoulders when he heard that but realised that he was going to bring in dark wizards anyway, regardless of his career. With that thought he perked up again and said

'I was hoping to get an O, but it doesn't really matter.' He went back to his sandwich and started to chew thoughtfully. What _would_ he do after Hogwarts? He didn't really know but decided that he would first deal with things his life compelled him to do and then worry about that.

'Did you get your supply list?' Mrs Weasley asked

'Yeah we did, why?' Ron asked.

'I thought it would be a good idea to go get them.' She said 'I'll talk to Dumbledore and ask if you can come with.'

'Great!' The four teens said at once.

The next morning Harry woke up well before Ron and wasn't even startled when he saw it was seven o' clock, he made it such a usual regular occurrence that it wasn't such an abnormal thing anymore. He grabbed his towel and went to shower. When the hot water was spraying onto his back he could finally relax. He felt like the shower was his solstice, one could stand for hours on end in a shower without any form of entertainment and still enjoy yourself, the one place were you can think all of your troubles through. He was just finishing off and wrapping the towel around him when he heard the door open and in strolled a very sleepy Ginny not even seeing him. He stood there terrified looking at her. Her eyelids were covering her eyes so much that if you didn't look closely at them you would think they were closed. When she finally realised that the bathroom was a bit damp considering that was not being used, she looked up sleepily and saw Harry. She looked back down and walked further as if nothing was wrong. When she reached the sink almost right in front of Harry she stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Harry. She looked up with a terrified gasp and a blush rising to her cheeks.

'Sorry Harry.' She squeaked

'I'll be leaving now…' Harry said slowly moving towards the door right past her with a flush to rival Ginny's. When he closed the bathroom door he could hear banging on the wall, it was as if she was bashing her head. When he entered Ron's room Ron was propped up on a pillow looking sleepy, but when

he saw Harry he asked with concern, 'what's wrong, you look like You-Know-Who saw you showering.'

'NO, not him.' He said still in a daze 'Ginny.'

'What!' he snorted 'Ginny saw you in the shower?'

'No, like this' He said indicating to his half naked body. Ron looked at him for a moment and burst out laughing clutching his side in glee. Harry's cheeks were burning enough to set his face on fire and he decided that if he was going to ignite, so would Ron. He concentrated most of the heat towards Ron and saw to his satisfaction that he stopped laughing and looked at Harry strangely.

'Harry how did you do that?' He asked seriously

'What?' Harry said

'Make it hot in here.' He said and suddenly saw how red Harry's cheeks were 'Oh'

'What?' Harry asked again hiding his amusement

'Well I don't know if you know this but every witch and wizard react in different ways when they are really embarrassed.' He said as if he had uncovered a great secret. 'You probably make it hot.'

'Really?' Harry asked trying and almost failing to hide his amusement. 'What do you do?' Ron turned a brilliant shade of red and mumbled something unintelligible.

After they dressed he and Ron went down towards the kitchen and when Harry saw Ginny sitting there he couldn't help the blush that rose up to his cheeks. Ron and Hermione exchanged amused glances earning death glares from Harry and Ginny in return. They started to eat in relative silence and then there was a knock on the door. Harry stood up to open the door and saw Lupin and Tonks talking about something. Harry thought it was about their last meeting with Harry. He waited patiently for them to finish their conversation but was not going to let them talk about him and plan a plot about him while he was right there.

'Are you coming in?' he asked 'or are you going to continue to talk about me?'

'Hello Harry, didn't see you there' Tonks said.

'Hay Harry.' Lupin said 'we're going with you to Diagon alley.'

'Great. Two people out for my skin accompanying us for protection.' He mumbled.

'It is, isn't it?' Tonks said

'Yeah sure.' He said 'come in.' When they entered the kitchen Ginny and Hermione made a beeline for Tonks, obviously intending ontelling them about Harry's escapade. What Harry couldn't understand was what Ginny was doing there because the whole thing was equally embarrassing for her. Then he realised that Tonks was doing most of the talking with Hermione and Ginny listening in rapt attention. When they were finally done they joined the rest at the table while Lupin and Mrs. Weasley talked about the trip to Diagon Alley. He went to his room and got the rest of his money, bound his gun to his left arm and put his wand in it's makeshift sheath (which consisted of strings) on his right arm. He made his way downstairs and passed by Ginny's room. He stopped in his tracks when he heard his name and listened.

'Can you believe that Tonks likes Lupin?' He heard Hermione say

'No, but I don't think she should do anything to Harry.' Ginny said 'It sounds like he only said it out of the blue. I'm sure if Harry knew, he wouldn't have said anything about it.'

'Yeah I know.' Hermione sighed.

'Lets go downstairs, we don't want them to wait for us.' Ginny said again. Harry heard footsteps approach the door and quickly went to the kitchen where everyone was waiting.

'Sorry to keep you waiting.' Ginny said from right behind him. He hadn't even heard her. They went towards the fireplace when Ginny cornered Harry and said

'Don't eat dinner tonight, Tonks is going to put a love potion in your food.'

'Okay, may I ask with who I'm going to fall in love with, if I eat anything tonight?' He asked

'Tonks' she said plainly

'Why are you telling me this?' he asked suspiciously

'Because Hermione and I don't think you would have done it if you knew.' She said and mumbled something like, 'stupid to put it in his drink'.

Harry decided that as soon as he got home he would take the strongest total control potion he had which will give him enough time to brew a counter potion. When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron Harry couldn't help but see how different the people were acting when he really looked at it. People looking over their shoulders, others walking in closed formation with one another and some hunched up like they were expecting an attack any second now. They made their way towards Gringotts, while Harry couldn't help but notice the depressing feeling covering the once so joyous street like a blanket.

'Can you feel it?' he heard Ron whisper

'Yes.' Harry said sadly

'It's so different.' Ginny said

'It shouldn't really come as a shock but, it's still bad' Hermione added while they too closed ranks among each other. Later that day they were walking towards the ice cream parlour, bags of shopping hanging from their arms, and found a table big enough for them all to sit down at.

Harry rummaged through his bag and opened his book, of which the cover had the illusion of looking like a Quidditch Player Book. Mr. Flourish had told him it was hard to find, and illegal to an extent, but he could scrape together a rather healthy collection on Physical magic. He took the liberty to change their covers and told Harry that he knew he would put it to good use. Harry couldn't thank the man enough for his troubles and paid him a large amount for the books. Hermione looked jealously at Harry because he was talking with the owner of a bookstore as if they knew each other!

Harry started reading and at once saw the possibilities of this magic combined with the muggle martial arts. When he was almost done with the first chapter, he suddenly stiffened up like a board because something, something evil and disgusting, penetrated his sense charm. He shot out of his chair and went in the direction where he had sensed it, earning a few curious looks from his friends. Once he saw what had triggered it, his blood ran cold; there standing near the wall was a rat, a white rat with a silver paw. Harry lunged at it with a growl that would make a lion run and hide, while pulling his wand out of his 'holster', and shot a vast ball of fire towards the rat. Pettigrew scurried out of the way and ran through a crack in the wall successfully disappearing. Harry screamed in rage '_ACCIO PETTIGREW'_ while pushing his wand in the crack and waited a few seconds but when nothing happened he knew the rat had escaped again. He realised with a start that Pettigrew most probably went to his master telling him that Harry was in Diagon alley.

'Come on!' he screamed to his companions 'Death Eaters are on their way! We have to get out of here!'

'Harry what happened?' Lupin asked distressed

'There's no time. Pettigrew was here. I tried to catch him but he got away.' Harry said, his instinct kicking in.

'Where, Harry tell me, I'll kill him!' Lupin screamed out in rage

'Come on! He's probably at Voldemort's side right now!' he said 'Mrs Weasley, go tell Dumbledore immediately!' She looked at Harry but didn't question his command and disappeared with a "pop"

'Lupin come on, I can feel Voldemort's happiness, let's get to the leaky Cauldron and floo back!' Harry commanded. He led the way through the shop dropping ten galleons onto the table and went for the door. Once they were outside in the open Harry raced in front with Lupin right behind him then Ron, Hermione and Ginny with Tonks bringing up the rear. All the people parted while as they walked through the street, wands drawn and ready to fight for their lives. They walked until they were within sight of the Leaky Cauldron when Harry heard what he had been hoping he wouldn't hear. About a dozen of pops right in front of them with people giving terrified screams once they realised what was happening. There at the archway towards Diagon alley stood twelve hooded figures all dressed in black, wands pointing towards Harry and his friends in a half circle. Harry stepped a step forward at the same time as one of the death eaters and waited in anticipation.

'Potter' The Death Eater said 'come quietly and your friends walk away, unharmed.'

'And you wouldn't kill them the moment I'm gone?' He questioned sarcastically

'Our Lord wishes your company. You either come or die!' The death eater screamed in frustration. At that moment a mother and a small girl about three years old walked through the archway towards Diagon alley. The mother stopped dead in her tracks while the girl looked around and walked straight into a death eater. The sick, hooded person looked around and screamed in a voice filled with unearthly hate, wand pointed towards the little toddler's head '_CRUCIO'_. The little girl fell on the ground screaming out in pain with the most heart wrenching voice. The mother squealed and ran towards her daughter and grabbed her, pulling her towards her bosom.

The Death Eater said in a drawling voice, 'Stupid woman! You could have left her and lived. _AVADA KEDAVRA!_' the woman fell lifeless towards the ground covering her child, protecting her, even in death. Harry couldn't take it. He gave an unearthly scream at the sickening site before him and attacked the Death Eaters ready to kill them all for what they had done. It was as if it was a mere fly they were swatting away. The other Death Eaters pointed their wands towards Harry and yelled various curses. While Harry was running forward he sent a stunning spell towards them and felt his magic in his legs. He jumped up high, about three meters, all of the curses missing him and turned in mid air. He pointed his wand toward his friends and put up the most strong protection charm he could muster, around his friends. Lupin and Tonks put up their own protection charms and were already shooting spells towards the enemy. Harry turned again in mid air and shot another stunner, dropping the one that stepped forward. He landed right in the middle of the death eaters and punched one in the gut, sending him flying backwards. He summoned his pistol with the loaded stunner bullets in an instant and pointed it directly towards the head of the sick Death Eater who had killed the woman and shot. The bullet hit him between his eyes and the man went flying backwards stunned, but already dead, as if in slow motion. He landed a few feet back with a puddle of blood already underneath his head. Harry jumped back again in a graceful arc over the Death Eaters' heads and landed right in front of Lupin and Tonks. He heard someone yell the killing curse and saw the sickly green light of death rushing towards Ginny. He ran faster than what he thought was humanly possible and pushed Ginny out of the way with the curse hitting a pole behind her that immediately exploded in a blast of green flames.

He pointed his gun toward the Death eaters and sent of a burst of bullets their way. The bullets that hit protego charms went through the shield but you could see the magic disappearing from them, weakening the shield. He realised that if they all wanted walk out of there alive they had to fight together and end it fast. He called quickly for Ron, Hermione and Ginny to fight back and not to worry about underage magic now, as Hermione had mentioned scared. They stood up, the four friends, shoulder to shoulder and started to fight. Lupin and Tonks were still flinging curses and shouting instructions towards bystanders to get away, to run.

Harry and his friends shot four stunners at a time making a powerful barrage that broke through any shield the death eaters summoned. They started at the side and worked their way towards the middle stunning everyone they aimed at. Whenever there came a curse towards one of the friends the remaining three summoned such a strong shield for their companions that Harry was sure it could stop most powerful curses. Harry, with his gun and wand made a lethal combination, shooting at the same time as casting spells. Once there were only three remaining Death eaters they started to get desperate and shot only killing curses. Harry shot one of them in the head with a reducto bullet he hadn't tried out, successfully beheading him and with a spray of blood going everywhere. Ron and Hermione shot two powerful stunners towards the second last one and sent him flying backwards through the air into a bench, followed by numerous cracks from his spine. It didn't really matter to them if they died, Death eaters killed without a second thought.

The last one standing looked at Harry and his friends slowly advancing on him and screamed out '_AVADA KEDAVRA!' with pure hatred._

The curse left his wand and rushed forth towards the closely packed friends while the Death Eater Apparated away. Harry panicked for a millisecond but quickly got his senses back. He summoned the largest amount of physical magic he could muster into his legs, grabbed onto his friends arms and jumped up high. He just managed to lift them high enough that the spell missed them; he abruptly let them go under the strain. As he dropped onto the ground with his feet he saw the Death Eater pull out what resembled a Portkey. Reacting quickly, Harry pulled out his gun and fired what he thought was a stunning bullet but it turned out to be another Reducto bullet. The bullet hit him in the shoulder successfully blowing his arm right off and sending it flying into the head of an unconscious Death Eater. The shoe Portkey, fell to the ground followed by the Death Eater who seemingly passed out from pure pain. Harry looked around and saw his friends, all three of them alive and well, although slightly blood spattered (the results of a certain _enchanted_ bullet). He felt the greatest feeling swell up in the very core of himself, he felt happy and joyous, even though he had just killed several of the Dark Lord's followers. He saw his friends go through the whole experience too and they, as one grabbed each other and screamed out with joy. They were safe and alive.

'Seems that your training wasn't for nothing.' The voice of Albus Dumbledore said.

'Molly could you please see to them. I'll talk to fudge.' The wizened wizard said. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny finally let go of each other and looked over towards the scene before them. There were eleven death eater bodies lying either unconscious or dead before them and the dead mother covering the poor girl was still there, untouched. Hermione and Ginny immediately went over to the crying girl followed closely by Harry and Ron. When they reached her, Harry carefully removed the girl's dead mother from above her and Ginny immediately wrapped her arms around the trembling figure. She whispered small nothings into her ear hoping to soothe the ache that was impossible to heal. Ginny picked up the girl and Harry thought she looked like a grown up woman caring for her child. At that moment Harry knew that they were not children anymore. They were the ones soothing the children, helping them through their troubles. They together went to Dumbledore who was talking to fudge.

'Professor!' Harry said strongly, demanding attention.

'Ah, Harry what do we have here?' he asked.

'This girl's mother was murdered, a Death Eater killed her when she tried to protect her own daughter.' He said. At once the merry twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes were gone and he took the little girl from Ginny like a grandfather would do to a granddaughter. He turned towards Fudge and said

'Do you now see what I was trying to prevent? I will talk to you later. Clean up here and make a public statement about how you will do everything in you power to prevent another scene like this.' He walked away talking to the small girl in a soothing manner.

'Professor!' Harry called 'What are you going to do?'

'I will place her in her father's hands personally.' He said sadly.

Harry turned towards Fudge and said 'We won't be expecting any letters from the ministry.' With that said, Harry, with his friends, turned around and walked towards Mrs. Weasley

'Can we please go home?' Harry asked. Mrs. Weasley had never before been so proud in her life.

'Yes dears, go home. I'll be there shortly.' Harry nodded and picked up a piece of parchment from the ground. He muttered _'Portus'_ and motioned for his friend to touch it. As soon as all of them were touching the portkey they were whisked away in swirls of pretty colours.

(A/N: Hello Everyone, Thank you for all the reviews we have received so far, it really inspires us to write more for you.

A few things we want to get sorted first of all, is that someone moaned about us plagiarizing the Matrix with the book title we used. We had not; we put it in like that to add some humor to the story not to steal anything from the Matrix. Replies to reviews are on the Author notes of the group chapter as it is against the rules to reply to reviews in your author notes.

We hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the little action we put in. Chapter 5 should be up within the next couple of days.

Cheers From Nex0r & Nifler.)


	5. Birthday Surprises

**Chapter 5 birthday surprises**

Once they landed, there was complete silence. Not one of the friends wanted to break the ice. They thought that if they didn't talk about it they could forget about it, but all of them knew how wrong they were. Harry sat there completely shocked. _I killed! _He thought _I murdered another human being! …Don't think about that!_ He argued with himself; _you saw what they did to that mother!_ Harry's blood went cold at the thought _He got what he deserved!_

'He deserved that and much more.' Ginny said soothingly into his ear. He didn't even notice that she had made them all tee.

'I know, but I still feel bad.' He said truthfully

'Well don't. I would have killed him with my bare hands if I were in your position.' She told him 'Harry, don't blame yourself. None of us think any less of you. It had to be done, how many people do you think he would have killed if you hadn't done it? Would you rather live with that? Knowing you had the chance, but let him go anyway so that he could kill innocent people for no apparent reason?'

Harry slowly started to see reason, _this is war_ he thought, and people die in war. Ginny handed out the tea and sat down as Mrs. Weasley came through the door and looked around.

'Fudge made a public statement full of lies and ordered a clean up crew to come to Diagon Alley. He told me that you shouldn't be expecting any letters at all, not even a thank you note, the nerve that _man_ has!'

'Mrs. Weasley, I don't want a thank you letter from a ministry that can't even see the truth if it hit them in the face!' Harry said angrily.

'Anyway' she continued 'There were seven Death Eaters dead and the rest taken into custody. Dumbledore is coming here at lunch time tomorrow; after he sorts everything out at the ministry.'

After hearing Mrs. Weasley's news, the four friends bade each other good night and left for bed.

The next morning Harry awoke to the sounds of Ron thrashing around in his bed while mumbling something unintelligible. Harry didn't wake him because he knew how embarrassing it was to have someone wake you up from a nightmare. There was nothing he could do about it. He stood up, pulled on his robe and went downstairs. He was met by a rather sleepy Ginny sitting at the kitchen table looking over at him.

'Morning, sleep well?' She asked.

'Yeah, not too bad, although I cant say the same thing for Ron, you?' Replied Harry.

'Not too bad.' Said Ginny, 'Hermione too.'

'What about her?' Harry asked busy making a cup of tea.

'Nightmares.' She said

'How about you?' Harry asked his eyes searching her face.

'I'm not new to nightmares you know.' She said sadly remembering her past 'my first year'

'Me neither' Harry told her. He made them a couple of sandwiches and placed them on a single plate.

'Do you want to go for a walk' Ginny asked, not waiting for an answer

'Yeah, why not.' He said as he followed her out of the door, carrying his mug in one hand and his plate of sandwiches in the other. They walked through the orchard in silence, comfortable with one another's presence.

'Where are we going?' Harry asked

'To the place where I always go in times like these.' She replied cryptically.

They walked up the hill and halfway to the top, they walked around the small hillside coming to a halt at a small stream with a clump of trees at the other side. Harry climbed onto a big flat rock and placed the plate onto a nice side rock almost as if it was there for that specific purpose. He watched Ginny walking next to the stream, her red hair waving in the small wind. She came to a halt and walked slowly towards the stream wetting her feet a bit in the gentle water. _She looks so peaceful,_ Harry thought to himself as he watched the red head playing with a strand of her loose hair. She turned towards him and smiled, a small, gentle smile that Harry really liked.

'Come on, let's eat.' Harry told her.

'I'm coming.' She said.

Once she was seated next to him they quietly ate their food until Ginny broke the silence

'No one knows about this place, not even my Parents.' Harry felt honoured to be the one that Ginny was showing it to, and asked

'Why did you show me then?'

'I don't know' she began slowly 'I thought you would like it here.'

'I do' he told her 'It's pretty.'

'It makes me feel safe.' She said silently

'Me too,' Harry whispered almost inaudibly. They were there for about an hour talking about nothing in general when the conversation turned towards the battle of the previous day.

'I still don't know how we fought twelve Death Eaters and survived.' Ginny trailed off 'I mean, Mad Eye Moody was one of the few capable of it.'

'You know as well as I how we did it.' Harry said 'We are used to it, fighting. Since when we first went to Hogwarts.'

'I guess I do' she said 'it just seems so…so, surreal. I was brought up with the knowledge that you either run and hide or you die.'

'But it doesn't matter, does it?' Harry asked

'No, not really… Oh, Harry, I forgot to ask you, what did you use in the battle besides your wand?' She asked curiously. She had a general idea about what it did but didn't understand it.

'My gun.' Harry replied cryptically and took it out of its sheath. He had decided that he wouldn't go anywhere unarmed.

'What does it do?' she asked 'How does it work?'

'It shoots bullets.' He told her taking out the clip and handing her a bullet.

She inspected it and said 'It doesn't look like it can hurt you, I mean it's not even sharp.'

'Ginny, the gun shoots the bullet out so fast you can't even see it. You hear it a second too late. After you pull the trigger, it's almost instantly at its target. Picture anything moving that fast, and hitting you.' He explained. 'The shell is filled with an explosive powder and ignites when you pull the trigger. Pressure builds up in behind the bullet, and forces it outwards through the barrel.' He said pointing at the various regions of the gun as he explained.

'Can you show me how it works?' she asked

'There's not really anything much to see.' He told her, as he pulled out a normal bullet and placed it at the top of his clip. He took aim towards a nearby tree and shot. It didn't make a sound except for the click of the trigger and the sound of cracking wood coming from the tree.

He stood up and said 'Come, look here.'

They walked through the stream both wetting their feet this time, and inspected the tree. It was dented in with a small hole where the bullet made impact.

'Wow.' Ginny said.

He looked at her and said 'Normally the sound is a lot louder and hurts your ears for a while but I put a silencing charm on it.'

She nodded in response and took the gun from Harry.

'Wow, I like your aiming charm,' she said as she looked through the sights. Harry had placed a permanent scope charm on it after the Hedwig, Errol escapade.

'Yeah, I made magical bullets with spells on them like stunners and reducto charms.' He said showing her the rest of the bullets.

'Can I try?' she asked excitedly

'Yeah, take aim for that tree,' he pointed towards a nearby tree, about twenty feet 'and pull the trigger. The bullet will hit where the crosshair is.' She took aim and looked rather stunning, Harry thought. Her hair whipping in the wind, her straight back, feet a bit apart and her tongue between her teeth with a look of concentration on her face. When she pulled the trigger you could see the surprise look on her face at the shock of the weapon but a second later gave a squeal of joy and ran towards the tree.

When she passed by Harry her foot caught a rock and she tumbled over. Harry grabbed her around the midriff to break her fall, but he stumbled with her as his foot caught the very same rock. They fell to the ground with Harry underneath Ginny who was a little winded by the impact. Harry stared at her eyes and she matched his gaze until finally realisation struck and Harry couldn't help the blush that was coming to his face. Ginny quickly jumped off him with her own blush and walked slowly towards the tree. Harry staid there for a moment trying to force the memory of how good it felt to have Ginny straddling his hips out of his mind. He composed himself slightly, stood up and went to the tree, standing next to Ginny.

'How did you come up with this idea, I mean the gun?' She asked

'It was my cousin really' he told her 'he was terrorising small kids with a fake one and I thought about placing spells on the bullets.'

'Harry, don't show it to dad, he'll go bonkers with excitement… and probably because it's illegal' She said seriously.

Harry could only laugh at the statement forming a mental image of Mr Weasley with a gun.

'No really Harry, he got something off a muggle that is supposed to wash the dishes and he kept the whole household busy for two weeks trying to find out how it work.' She told him

'Must have been fun.' Harry said sarcastically

'Yeah, it was' She said laughing about it now. 'Harry! Isn't it your birthday today?'

'What day is it?' he said trying to work out. He lost track of the date with his busy schedule

'It is your birthday, Harry how could you forget your own birthday?' she scolded

'I don't know. I guess I forgot.' He said truthfully

'We have to celebrate,' She said happily

'What do you have in mind?' he asked.

She smiled at him in a strange way and for a moment Harry thought she was going to kiss him when she came closer sweetly. She was right in front of him now with the stream at his back. Harry swallowed and took a few deep breaths but any thought about kissing was washed out of his mind, literally when she pushed him in the chest. He toppled backwards and fell into the stream with a splash. The small but powerful current rushed by him and slowly Harry started to slide on the slippery rocks. He started to gain momentum and went faster. He looked around and saw Ginny also plopping into the stream clearly hoping to slide off, so Harry relaxed a bit.

He was moving quickly now, around the bends and dropping a few feet at every small waterfall. He started to enjoy himself when he saw a small pond, the size of a swimming pool in front of him, crystal clear water shimmering in the morning sun. He reached the end of the stream and fell into the water with a splash. When he emerged from the water he saw Ginny falling in right next to him, her white pyjamas completely wet.

When she emerged she screamed 'Race you back to the top!' and set off running back, with Harry trying to force his eyes towards a more civil place on her body. Harry followed suite, all of his troubles forgotten in the presence of the read headed girl, and ran up the hill only to come down again, but he enjoyed it. He enjoyed every second of it.

'When are we going back?' Harry asked

'I don't know.' She said 'we should probably get going.'

'yeah…'

'Isn't it cold for you?' she asked shivering.

'Not really why?' he said silently directing the heat he had already concentrated on himself towards her.

'Well I was cold.' She said puzzled

'Come on we should get back.' Harry told her

'Do you realize that we're still in our pyjamas?' she said laughing

'Yeah, didn't think about it before.' He said getting up and holding out his hand to help her.

She took his offered hand and stood up saying 'Hermione will probably give us a piece of her mind about the importance of wearing day clothes.'

Harry just laughed and went back around the hill closely followed by Ginny. They entered the orchard at nearly lunchtime and walked towards the burrow's back door. They entered the kitchen and Harry froze up, he pulled Ginny in behind him and motioned for her to keep still.

He quickly but quietly walked towards the closed door leading towards the sitting room. He thought he heard shuffling. He pulled out his wand, pointing it at the closed door, bracing himself for a battle but when he opened it he got one of the biggest shocks of his life as everyone shouted as one, 'SURPRISE!'

The sound made Harry jump back suddenly and slam the door shut as hard as he could. He could hear snickering on the other side and Ginny holding onto the table for support because she was laughing so hard.

'What the hell was that?' Harry yelled.

'Your surprise party, stupid.' She said through her laughter.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Harry said realising what had just happened.

'It wouldn't be much of a surprise then, would it?' she said 'Now go back inside.'

Harry opened the door but this time he braced himself, 'SURPRISE!' they all yelled as one again. There, squashed into the small room was Hagrid's huge form in the back, Hermione and Ron near the door, Ron's parents next to them, Charlie, the twins and Bill who was next to Professor Dumbledore. Right behind them was Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley Shackelbolt and Mad-eye-Moody. Harry was overwhelmed by congratulations and "happy birthday's" immediately after he went into the room. He sought out Ron and Hermione shaking hands as he went.

After he found them busy coming towards him he asked 'When did you plan this?' with a huge grin on his face.

He couldn't believe that so many people would turn up for his birthday, he was used to being ignored and grew up with a birthday not being important except for Dudley. He enjoyed their present and cards in the past but didn't really expect them to do all this work for him.

'Since the beginning of summer.' Hermione said

'It really wasn't necessary, you know' he told them

'We know, but don't care.' Ron said happily 'Come on, have some cake.'

In one corner was a huge cake, looking as if it could satisfy even Hagrid, who had already had a slice. Harry got himself a slice and some butterbeer, and went to chat with the guests, thanking them for coming. After an hour of some of the happiest times of his life Mr Weasley shouted for silence

'Thank you.' He told the crowd 'Thank you all for coming today.'

'And Harry' he added looking at the person in question 'time for presents.'

There were a noisy cheer and Harry felt himself being shunted towards the kitchen by various pairs of hands. When they got there Harry looked on in shock. The kitchen table was half full of brightly wrapped presents, all for him, he realised with Mrs Weasley standing proudly behind it.

Tonks came up to him, giving him a present saying 'It's from Moony and I, we found it and thought you could put it to good use.'

He opened the present that felt like a book and saw a transfiguration manual, one that you know from your first days at Hogwarts. He looked over at Tonks and Lupin who stood there looking completely modest as if it was intentional. Just as he was trying to figure out what to say the book began to heat up. He looked down and saw the cover change to black with writing on, it read

_Welcome, noble potter heir of James. Are you alone and out of the vision of any professors or anyone that could report you?_

_Yes No_

_P.S. only you and a marauder can read so it's just a safety precaution… Padfoot insisted._

Harry was by far too interested to say no so he placed the tip of his wand onto the _yes_ and saw the cover change once again. There was a wizarding picture of a stag, standing next to a dog with a werewolf, looking happy and friendly (if that was even possible) in front of the two huge animals. A rat was standing on the werewolf's back, sniffing and prying near the wolf's backside. They were standing right in front of the forbidden forest at night looking at the camera and occasionally the dog and stag would playfully push against one another.

Above the picture stood the writing "Marauders Mischief Manual". Harry looked over to Lupin who gave him a small smile. Harry opened the book and saw an intro saying that all of their pranks and keys to success were within these covers.

Dumbledore said with a massive twinkle in his eyes 'There are other presents Harry, some less, interesting.'

Harry closed the book with a snap and put it carefully in his pocket thinking that this book would be invaluable. Hermione came bounding towards him this time holding out a small box, the size of a wand holder.

'What's so interesting about a transfiguration manual Harry?' she asked as Harry accepted the small box.

'I'll show you later.' He told her softly.

He opened the box and saw a quill, a plain old quill. He looked at Hermione for an explanation because if he knew Hermione the thing would probably follow you around until all of you homework was completed.

'Its an auto quill.' She explained 'it writes what you think.'

Harry looked at her and said 'Thank you Hermione.'

He gave her a small one armed hug and asked 'I thought you would want one yourself?'

'I bought one for myself when I saw it and thought it would make good presents.' She told him sheepishly.

Ron was right behind her and held out a berty botts every flavour beans box.

'It refills itself three times.' Ron said.

Harry shook his hand happily, _so many presents!_ He thought. Mr Weasley came bounding up excitedly holding out a plug that looked like it was ripped of the cord. It still had wires coming out of the thing!

'Thanks' Harry said laughing with the rest of the crowd. Mr. Weasley also held out a file that Harry recognised as being able to store huge amounts of parchments. Again he thanked Mr and Mrs Weasley and opened a present from the Hogwarts staff. Inside he found a snitch, the golden ball was apparently charmed by Professor Flitwick to come to Harry when they were done playing. He thanked Dumbledore and accepted a box full of lemon drops from him.

Next he opened a present from Neville and saw a strange looking plant with tentacles, waving of their own accord, which gave of brilliant neon light as they moved. He opened

Luna's present, she gave him a free year subscription to the quibbler. He saw a badly wrapped box that were from the Dursleys and pulled out a small dog chew-toy. He threw it away immediately and opened the last present on the table. He looked at Kingsley and Moody and saw them smile at him. He opened it and found a wand holster. An actual wand holster, no more strings, a real wand holster. He read the instructions and saw that it would fling into your hand at your will. He thanked them for the useful present and was about to get some more cake when Hagrid's voice caught him from behind saying

'I got you something Harry, wait up.' Harry turned around and looked at Hagrid. He smiled at Harry and took out a box that rattled violently. He held it out with the lid open and Harry, along with the rest of the group went speechless. Hagrid looked inside the little box and cooed at its contents.

'Um, Hagrid, that's a dragon.' Hermione said still shocked.

'Bu' its still little' he said finally looking at Hermione.

'But it's a dragon, it will grow!' Hermione said working herself up

'No it won'. I placed him into a cauldron to keep it warm because his mother left him. Poor soul, she left him with no one. I had to help him, there the dragons don' go easy on each othe, you know.' He explained

'But it will still grow!' she exclaimed again

'But the cauldron had a permanent shrinking solution in it, he should have been five feet by now… look at the little fellow. The others would have killed him!' he said finally explaining.

'But, Hagrid' Hermione started to whine

'Wait Hermione, I think that we can find out if it will always stay small.' Dumbledore said 'there is a spell to see if something, a potion or a spell is working and how strong it is.'

'But it's a dragon!' Hermione said looking slacked jawed at the headmaster.

Harry couldn't believe Hagrid, typical of him to give someone a dragon for his or her birthday, but on the other hand, it would probably be fun to have a little dragon around.

'Mrs Weasley, help me! Harry can't have a dragon!' Hermione whined

'I agree totally with Hermione, Albus, Harry can't have a dragon.' Mrs Weasley said

'But mum it will stay small.' Ron said

'Hagrid will you put the dragon on the table, I will not harm him.' Dumbledore added at the look Hagrid gave him.

Once the small dragon was on the table Dumbledore pulled out his wand and cast a strange spell on him. The light around the dragon turned to dense orange smoke, so dense that you could hardly see the figure within it. After the smoke vanished Dumbledore said

'The potion was very strong, he will most likely stay like that forever.' Dumbledore said 'I can't see a problem with him accompanying Harry. His flames at his size can't be too big.'

'It only burns the hairs on your arms.' Hagrid said sadly, he would probably have liked it to incinerate anyone within a ten-meter radius.

'As long as he can be kept in control Harry can take him to Hogwarts.' Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. Harry looked at the small dragon on the table and as if on invitation, the dragon flew over to Harry and bumped into his chest clearly thinking Harry would catch him. Harry was startled for a moment, but he caught him anyway. As he held the small animal in his hands, he inspected it. It was a little bit bigger than an average owl and its wings were only big enough to keep him airborne. It looked Harry in the eye and made a soft little squeaking, purring sound and blew a circle of smoke towards Harry's nose in greeting.

'He's beautiful Hagrid, are you sure you don't want him?' Harry asked already liking his new pet already.

'No, no you keep him, I'll be seeing bigger ones soo…' Hagrid stopped in mid sentence and looked around at the rest of the people 'Sorry, shouldn't have said that.' Ron came over to Harry and said

'Can I hold him for a bit?' Harry held out the dragon for Ron but pulled him back when he blew a small ball of flame towards Ron, his first official victim, who plucked back his arms but his hairs got singed anyway.

Harry laughed at Ron who said to the little dragon 'What's wrong little fellow?' the little dragon clearly didn't like to be called little because he flew out of Harry's hands and started to shoot Ron with a lot of small fire balls, Ron ran around like a headless chicken, trying but failing miserably and finally decided to go outside, he ran to the door and slammed in front of the dragon who flew head on into it. The dragon landed with a soft thud on the ground and stood up groggily, shook his head like a dog and took flight again, chasing Fred and George this time. Harry laughed while Ginny, Hermione and Tonks came up to him. Harry looked warily at the three women in front of him remembering Ginny's warning the previous day.

'What are you going to call him, Harry?' Ginny asked

'I don't know' he said and turned to Hagrid 'Hagrid what's his name?'

'Oh it's Osiris, he didn't like anything else,' Hagrid told him. Osiris who heard his name being called abandoned his chase of the twins and flew towards Harry. When Harry caught him he said

'So you like Osiris?' the dragon flew a little circle above Harry's head and landed in his hands once again

'Then Osiris it is.' Harry said. Tonks held out her hand towards the small dragon but got greeted by a small ball of flames. She too plucked her hand back and sucked on the red spot on her middle finger, giving Osiris a death glare. Osiris flew out of Harry's hands to chase Tonks around for a bit, who also chose to run outside.

Charlie came over to Harry and said 'Lucky bugger, do you have any idée how rare a miniature dragon is?'

'I didn't even know there were any.' Harry stated

'There are, it's a rare disorder but some get born small and don't grow bigger. But this one fell into a potion, I've never heard about a case like that before.' Hermione told them. Osiris decided to join their conversation after dispelling Tonks and flew into Ginny who looked startled but caught him anyway.

'It looks like he likes you too. Well at least there are two of you then.' Charlie laughed 'can I hold him for a second?'

'I don't know if you want to. He doesn't look like a social kind of animal.' Harry replied.

Charlie stretched out his hands and got hit by a fire ball but didn't pull away and grabbed Osiris around the chest, closing his wings and held his head at a suitable angle. Osiris struggled furiously but Charlie held firm and after a while Osiris gave up and accepted defeat. Charlie looked at the small dragon with admiration and cooed him a little.

Dumbledore came over and asked 'Harry can I look at him please?' Osiris flew out of Charlie's hands and flew into Dumbledore's chest. Dumbledore looked the dragon in the eye and said to Harry

'I can see how the other Gryffindors might hate him,' Osiris took offence at that and shot a very small ball of flames towards the headmaster's beard. It singed a bit but you could hardly see it. Dumbledore laughed heartily and stroked the small dragon on the head, who in turn purred his squeaky purr.

Harry gathered all of his presents and excused himself to the bedroom to dump off his load but Dumbledore stopped him.

'Harry, we need to talk. I'll let it be for now but when you are back at the Dursleys we have to talk.' He told Harry very seriously.

When Harry was in Ron's room he closed the door and felt happy, like that morning, because he now knew for sure that there were people that cared for him. He didn't know what Dumbledore wanted to talk to him about but he didn't care. After he put all of his new belongings into his trunk he placed the plant Neville gave him on the bedside table and stared at the brightly coloured tendrils dancing around, changing their brightness and shade every so often.

He heard a knock on the door and said 'Come in.' he looked over and saw Ginny standing in the doorway with her hands behind her back looking sheepishly at him.

'I didn't give you my present.' She said looking unsure and went over to him, holding out a small orb, bigger than the one that contained the prophecy but the same form. He looked at her unsure and held out his hand shakily, taking the small orb at its base. He looked at it and a big smile graced his lips. It was a model of the stream where he and Ginny spent the morning. It looked like one of those things you could find at a muggle curio shop for a gift and when you shook it small flakes that looked like snow scattered around slowly sinking towards the bottom. This one however was clearly not muggle because there was no water inside and the scene was animated, the stream flowed and the trees swayed gently in the non-existent wind. Once a while a small animal like a squirrel would show itself on a rock or a bird would appear out of nowhere.

'It was a picture of Hogwarts first but I asked my mum to change it to this.' She said 'you can change it back if you want to'

'No, I like it, it will bring back good memories.' He told her and smiled at her showing his appreciation for her thoughtful gift.

'Come on down stairs. Ron wants you to tame your dragon.' She laughed 'I already like him.'

'Yeah, maybe with him around I can win a game of chess against Ron.' Harry said as he carefully placed Ginny's gift next to the neon plant. He stood up and went to the door with Ginny close behind. Harry stopped at the door and turned around, walked to his trunk and pulled out his box of potions. He pulled out the strongest resistant potion out, which if correctly brewed could throw off minor mind control curses and potions. After he gulped it down he looked at Ginny.

'I see Moody's warning is staying with you.' Ginny laughed

'No, not Moody's, yours.' He said while Ginny tried to look innocent.

'Mine? You didn't hear anything out of me did you?' she asked in the same manner

'Oh, no nothing, I didn't hear anything out of Ginny.' He said

'Good, now lets go downstairs.' She said already outside the door.

After a few games of chess, which Harry all lost, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny sat and talked about the new school year.

'Hopefully we'll have a proper DADA teacher this year' Hermione said 'I don't think I can cope with another year like last.'

'That's a first,' Ron said 'Hermione not being able to cope with school work.'

'Ron, I'll let you know that I'm a normal person!' Hermione said hotly

'Hey, come on don't get mad, it's true, you haven't ever complained about the amount of work we get,' Ron said indignantly with a hint of proudness.

'Yeah, I guess you're right.' She admitted 'but I still don't like to do work for someone like Umbridge.'

'Look at that!' Ginny exclaimed pointing towards Osiris and Crookshanks. The two were playing like life long friends. Crookshanks would pounce at Osiris and he would jump out of the way, retaliating with a small ball of fire and take flight. Currently the two were in the air, flying around with Crookshanks hissing furiously and Osiris clutching the poor cat in his claws, doing laps around the room.

'Osiris, let go of Crookshanks!' Hermione screamed jumping up trying to swat the two out of the air with a couch pillow. Ron was lying on the floor laughing at the sight and Ginny enjoyed the whole show, while Harry stood on the couch and when his funny, but a little bit stupid, dragon came around again he caught them holding on tight with Crookshanks trying to skin Harry alive in his terror. Hermione came bouncing over and grabbed her beloved cat out of Harry's hands, holding her close. Harry turned towards Osiris and said

'Play nice. Hermione will have your behind if you do that again.' Osiris stared at him and purred a little bit before flying off again, probably trying to find his next victim.

'Come on, lets get some food' Ron panted from the floor.

Suddenly Hermione's face lit up and said 'Yeah, I'm very hungry.'

Harry thought it was odd, Hermione hungry, he hardly saw her eat anything at all and now she's hungry. Harry now knew that only Ginny was in it to tell him to watch out. Hermione would have left him, she would have motivated him to eat and embarrass himself, and this was a side of Hermione he hadn't seen before.

'Yeah, let's go eat.' Harry said walking to the kitchen. When they were seated outside again Tonks offered him a butterbeer, which Harry accepted, and took a long drink. He could feel the magic working inside his system, the two potions trying to take control, but in the end Harry's potion won and he could feel the other dying down. He looked over to Tonks and smiled, she looked back with glee and turned excitedly towards Hermione sitting at her side, talking in whispers. When he ate his food he felt the same sensation _She didn't go easy on me_ he thought and could feel the potions cancelling each other out and he gave them a knowing smile and tossed the empty phial of anti potion towards them. Tonks looked at him and then down to the empty bottle, her head snapped back up and she looked angrily at Harry

'How did you know!' she almost screamed

'I felt it and drank the antidote.' He said calmly 'Why don't you drop it? I mean I didn't do it purposely.'

'No. you embarrassed the life out of me, I won't drop it until I get my revenge!' she said with firm resolve.

'Have it your way then.' Harry said and turned around calling 'Osiris!' He came flying over, abandoning his chase with the garden gnomes and went over to Tonks, already blasting miniature balls of flame towards her. She sprung up and threw one last angry look towards Harry, then bolted for the solitude of the house where Lupin and the two eldest weasley brothers were discussing the new useful products of Fred and George. Harry, Ron and Ginny laughed when Osiris continued his campaign of terror on Hermione's bushy hair…she followed Tonks a short while later.

Later that night the four friends were again sitting around, not doing much. Harry sat with a book in his hands staring at the same page for over twenty minutes, not reading at all, but thinking. He knew he had to tell his friends about the prophecy sometime because it wouldn't be fair for to them if he didn't tell them. He couldn't take the thought of sharing this burden with them, they did so much for him already and how does he repay them? By telling them their best friend was destined to fight till death, probably pulling them along with him, signing their death certificate. No he couldn't do that, it wasn't right, friends don't do things like that to one another.

Ginny stared at Harry, watching the emotions cross his face. He could hide it very well, she only saw the faintest flicker of sadness in his eyes, the smallest frown on his forehead or the little twitch his mouth would make. She could tell he was struggling with something internally, probably the thing he hadn't told them, because she knew he hadn't told them something, something important, something she knew that could change the course of the war. _What could be that bad? _She asked herself Harry had faced more than anyone else,things she couldn't even imagine and there he was, terrified! How could he be terrified? She stood up and went to him. Ron and Hermione were engrossed in the same book, heads suspiciously close together and reading with rapt attention. When she got to him and held out her hand, he looked startled to see her there.

Harry knew by the look Ginny gave him, the understanding and sorry look that she knew he held something secret. She held out her hand to help him up and when he took it she smiled at him encouragingly. He knew that she gave him the power to pull through with what he had decided a moment ago. He pulled himself up with Ginny's help and went over to Ron and Hermione

'Can you two come to Ron's room please, there's something I have to tell you. You too, Ginny.' He said sadly, not meeting their eyes.

He turned around and left, feeling the weight of the world upon him once again. Harry walked up the stairs, shoulders hunched, thinking how he would tell them. He couldn't beat around the bush with something this big, no he would tackle this problem head on, exactly like he planned to do with the rest of his _problems_. When he entered Ron's room he sat on his bed near the headboard and picked up Ginny's gift. He stared at it for what felt like ages, when finally he heard his friends enter the room

'What's up Harry' Ron asked with concern in his voice. Harry didn't look up until he was sure that their attention was completely on him.

'I have to kill Voldemort.' He heard Ginny and Ron gasp at the name but Hermione said

'No Harry, you don't have to do it. What about the Order? Everyone fighting for the light. Don't think that you have to do it.'

'Yeah Harry, why do you think that? It will probably be Dumbledore or some other great and powerful wizard.' Ron said clearly not believing that his friend would want to do something like that. Ginny knew that something big was up; Harry wouldn't say that for nothing so she kept quiet.

'You don't understand.' Harry said harshly, every word an effort, 'the prophecy, the one the order was guarding, the _weapon_, it said I have to do it. Nobody else can.'

'Harry, that's shit!' Ron exclaimed loudly 'That prophecy was broken, Neville said so.'

'The record was broken. Dumbledore heard it first hand and told me last year. I have to kill him or die by his hand. He branded me his equal with this damned scar and there is nothing I can do about it. I have two choices, sit back and enjoy the rest of my time alive before he kills me or fight and do the best I can to kill him. I have no other choice,' Harry told them to get it over and done with. 'I've been training this summer, I want you to train, learn and be strong fighters because I know now that the war will always come to me, not by chance but by intention. I'm going to go fly around on my broom for a bit to give you some time to think. Know this though, having me as a friend wont be easy, in fact it will probable be the hardest choice you will ever have to make. Whatever you choose, I won't think any less of you.'

Harry walked out of the room his mind completely blank, except for one thought: to get away and to feel free, he had to fly. He walked out of the room and retrieved his broom from the corner with a bit of unintentional magic. Time held no meaning for Harry as he walked. It felt like an eternity as he moved towards his destination, the sky.

He straddled his broom and took off inside the Burrow, he flew faster than he had in a long time and exited the building through the first window that he saw. The window flew open as he neared it, but Harry didn't notice. Harry shot outside like one of the bullets from his pistol, a blur to the _trained_ eye, and headed up into the sky as soon as he was in the clear, crisp night air.

He flew directly upwards, like a rocked heading for the moon, until the air around him got so cold that he had a hard time breathing. Harry slowed down and finally stopped. He couldn't see the burrow anymore; in fact he could see the clouds were far underneath him. He shuddered and sat in a comfortable position on his broom, pulled out his wand and casted warming charms that didn't seem to help any so he concentrated on the heat beneath him and willed some of it up towards him. The heat enveloped him as if he had climbed into a hot bath in the middle of a cold winter morning. His feet and hands were tingling, heating him up at his very core.

He sat like that for a long time; with the heat around him he didn't feel the need to go back down. When he finally decided return to The Burrow his head was clear and he could think properly again. With that, he jumped off his broom.

Well, almost. Harry still had his broom in one hand, but had deactivated the broom so that he could go into free fall. Harry's head was pointing downwards and he could feel the total freedom of falling from the sky, unhindered by any form of transportation or resistance. He felt exhilarated and full of life as he plummeted down towards the ground, the wind whistling in his ears as he constantly gained momentum. When he was right below the clouds he could once again see the small details of habitation on the surface of the planet: some big trees, the burrow, and there was a lake somewhere nearby too.

He opened his mouth to breathe but what came out instead was a scream of pure joy. When he finally managed to get in some air he decided to mount his broom again. And he did it in the nick of time because he hadn't realized how hard it would be to level out his broom at such speeds. He tried to no avail to bring the nose of the broom horizontal to the ground, and felt the first bouts of panic overcoming him. His arms tingled with the now familiar physical magic and he pulled the broom out of the dive making a sharp arch right above the lake as he felt his toes touching the water sending a huge spray outwards as he rocketed by, soaking him completely. He slowed down and landed at the front door of the burrow, after he climbed off his broom he dried his clothes with a drying charm, and went inside the only place besides Hogwarts that he could call home. When he entered Ron's room, Ron already in bed, fast asleep. Harry changed into his pyjamas and went to bed feeling much better, and calmer too.

The next morning Harry was pretty sad, knowing that he had to go home in the evening. He got up to find Ron already out of bed, which was kind of strange for Harry. He rummaged through his overly packed trunk to find some clothes to wear. When he went downstairs his friends were sitting by the kitchen table eating breakfast. Mrs. Weasley was nowhere to be seen. He sat down and helped himself to some eggs from a plate and ate on silence.

'Harry,' Ron said 'We talked about what you said last night and thought you were going completely crazy thinking that we would leave you because of something like that.'

Harry looked up and saw Ginny and Hermione nodding their heads in agreement.

'You should know by now that it's harder than that to leave us out.' Ginny said

'Yeah Harry,' Hermione said sincerely 'Friends are there for one another. I don't plan to loose five years of the best friendship I've ever had over something like this.'

Harry couldn't believe it but somewhere in his mind he always knew that it wouldn't matter to them, that he could tell them anything and that they always be there for him.

'Thanks.' Harry said truthfully 'you don't know how much this means to me.'

'We do Harry, that's why we did it.' Ron said surprising Harry.

They decided to take the day off when Ginny announced that she had completed the books Harry gave her at the beginning of his stay.

'Well let me test you then, Ms. Know-it-all' Harry said jokingly, as Ginny went to fetch her books.

He had finished with his books early on in the week but was having a hard time believing that she would finish hers. When Ginny returned, all but one of the books was in the old schoolbag she used to carry them.

'I see one of the books I gave you is missing…' Harry said in professor mode.

'Err…you see…I'm still busy with that one.' She stuttered.

'Ginny, it doesn't matter, I'm impressed that you finished off all the other books, but I still have to test you.' He laughed

After thirty minutes of testing, Harry concluded that she had indeed read all of the books and was impressed with the notes Hermione's auto quill did.

'Looks like I owe you a pet, Ginny.' Harry told her

'No really Harry, it's not necessary,' She said hurriedly

'You bet my sister a pet if she completed those books?' Ron exclaimed.

'Yeah, why not?' Harry asked but added as an afterthought, 'would you want the same bet perhaps? Although it is a lot of books.'

Ron gave the books Ginny was repacking one glance and said 'No thank you mate, I'm fine with the knowledge I have now.'

Later that day the four friends' chess tournament was cut short by Osiris crashing into the chess board after being flung away by Hermione who was at the receiving end of his miniature flame thrower that day.

'I'm going to go pack.' Harry told his friends and went upstairs.

He enlarged his trunk a bit, to fit all of his belongings, and pulled it downstairs from where he would depart by portkey. It was a sad but bearable goodbye, if Harry considered all of the things that had happened during his stay at The Burrow. But by far the most important one was that he vowed to do as much as he possibly could to protect the people that he loved and that loved him back. It was the least he could do for them. When he finally interrupted the Dursleys' favourite T.V. show, by appearing right in front of them, he went upstairs and unpacked.

'Get the mail!' his uncle screamed, although Harry was sitting at the same table as Vernon, eating, what could only be called scraps of food, for lunch.

When he retrieved the mail uncle Vernon gave back all the bills and advertisements for him to throw away. Harry was a bit more interested in the advertisements than his uncle, a habit he picked up when he was little, and started to leaf through them. He was almost finished when one of them caught his eye. It was a rather simple ad that read "MARTIAL ARTS CLASSES". Harry went upstairs and read through it excitedly. He wanted to do something like this because combined with his physical magic it could be rather useful. After he made a mental note to phone the place later he wrote to Dumbledore, telling him that they could meet the following afternoon. When Hedwig flew gracefully out of the confines of Harry's room, Harry went downstairs to phone the martial arts instructor to make a booking.

He reached the phone but thought better of it to call without the Dursleys' approval so went to ask but was saved the necessary trouble by Aunt Petunia coming out of the kitchen looking for something to clean.

'Aunt Petunia, can I use the phone quickly?' Harry asked politely

'Why do you want to? I'm sure none of your friends actually have telephones?' She said scathingly 'So…no.'

'I'm not going to phone my friends; I want to make an appointment for some training. Something like Dudley is doing.' He said again politely, suppressing his irritation.

'Not more than two minutes.' She said with disdain 'You can't hold up the line forever you know.'

He gave her a small nod and phoned the number on the paper. It rang a few times but a female voice answered.

'_Hello_'

'Err, hello?' Harry said unsure 'Is this the martial arts place?'

'_Yes, how can I help you?_' The voiced asked, in a slightly friendlier tone.

'I was wondering if there is a certain time for practice or do you have to make an appointment?' Harry asked

'_A certain time._' She said but added '_Have you done something like this ever before, or is it your first time?_'

'Err, it's my first.' Harry told her

'_Then you_ _have to make an appointment with me, there is only one place open though_.' She said '_It's three o clock tomorrow._'

'That's fine, thank you.' Harry said 'is it at the same address as on the advertisement?'

'Yes, we've been here since I can remember, it won't be outdated or anything.' She said 'So, we'll see you tomorrow?'

'At three, yes' Harry said 'Thank you, bye.'

'_Bye_.' She said as Harry placed the earpiece back onto the phone.

Harry went back to his room and made himself comfortable with a few of his physical magic books near him on the bed and started the spell. He hadn't had a lot of time to do a lot of learning at the Weasley household, and that's not even attempting these books so he had to pick it up a notch, again.

Four hours later, his longest yet, Harry was completely knackered but felt pleased with himself. He had studied a lot of books this time and it looked like his body was building up a resistance against the side effect of the spell. When he first started to use the spell, he was done-for after only one book, but now he could do most of his collection. He placed his books roughly on the ground and fell asleep, too tired to climb in under the covers.

Harry woke up with a rather tired snore and climbed off his bed noticing that he hadn't even turned during the night, _That would explain why I'm so tired_ he thought stretching a bit to his side. He grabbed a bathrobe and went to shower. Ten minutes later he dried himself off and summoned some food from the kitchen when he was back in his room. After he ate and cleaned the plate magically, he sent it back towards the cupboard.

He scanned his room and restored a bit of order to it, like picking up his pillows, placing his books on the table and giving the floor a quick wipe with his wand to remove the excess dust. After all of that, he finished off the rest of his physical magic books, now sure that he could do quite a bit without a wand but he knew he had to train it. It's one thing to know how to do it but another to actually do it. He crawled onto his bed not feeling tired. He knew he was going to have a hard day ahead of him. He set his wand to hum a tune at half past twelve and took a nap.

_He was soaring through the air, flying to a certain destination and when he finally reached it he felt his heart being frozen to the core of his very soul. He stood on a podium in a huge cavern, so big that the astronomy tower could fit in it and stand comfortably. It was lit by sickly green and red light coming from tiny lanterns on the walls casting a light on so disgusting a scene that no one would want to see it except the army within it. The sea of people below him, were cheering him on, their leader. The man in question was standing smugly, with twelve of his most faithful servants forming a half circle behind him but in front of the natural podium that looked like it was made such a colour by actual blood. He was wearing robes that leaked out a red substance, signifying blood, but disappeared at the hem of his robes. When he raised his hands the army before him stilled immediately concentrating solely on him._

_'Look, my followers, look at my servants behind me. They were freed from Azkaban this morning!' He screamed with malice._

_'We shall rage war against humans because they have forgotten our ways, the way of men! Kill, kill all of them that don't want to join me in this quest. Time and people who had moved on lost the true way of man. Dark Wizards created the unforgivables but it should be worse, it should be the unlivables. I found scrolls, ancient and powerful that told me the only way humans were supposed to live. Like we do! Salazar was unfortunate but he tried, Grindewald tried but failed, every Dark Wizard that is truly dark strives to find this, the way of Us, how we once lived, none succeeded before. It was lost… except to me! I found things that The warriors of the light wouldn't believe. They will be scared beyond belief. So scared that they will die of fright. I shall teach you these things and then we will start. We clean this world of this thing it fell into, we begin our fight when the next term begins at Hogwarts, to terrify the children into following me. Meanwhile I will train you, in "The Ways Of The Old"!'_

When he woke up again his scar was bleeding, soaking his pillow, his mind was trying to rebuild itself from scratch because it was broken down from the sight that he saw. He was in pain, physical and emotional, that one could not even imagine. Harry rolled to his side to vomit but nothing came out, absolutely nothing. He didn't even get the small satisfaction a person usually gets when he sees all of the vile stuff leaving his body; no, Harry wouldn't be so lucky. He's heart was breaking, for all of the innocents that were going to die. How could it be true? Kill for some stupid old way that doesn't even exist. He knew he was falling into denial, but he didn't care, this was way too much.

He thought what his friends would say about something like this, but the instant the thought came into contact with his conscience he knew that he had to fight, no matter how bad or ugly. Everyone would become like that if Voldemort succeeded. He would not dishonour his family and friends, the small children, his parents, The Light. He was a warrior with a task, a cause to fight for. He was a protector for the way things are supposed to be, for peace and love. He couldn't sit back and let Voldemort happen. He couldn't let them all down, and he wouldn't. He was a fighter and he would do anything and everything that was necessary to succeed in bringing light back to earth!

The doorbell rang at exactly one and Harry opened the door to see professor Dumbledore standing there with a smile. Harry motioned for him to come in and stepped aside for him to enter.

'Hello Harry, I hope everything is going alright.' Dumbledore said

'No, definitely not alright.' Harry replied 'Do you want to go to my room. I don't think the Dursleys will approve if we sit in the living room.'

They walked upstairs in silence and only when Harry was inside did Dumbledore speak.

'I want to know what you have been doing this summer Harry. I placed the spell on your room trusting you to use it wisely.' Dumbledore sighed

'I did.' Harry said

'No, Harry. By wisely I meant to protect yourself, not creating killing weapons, and illegally I might add.' Dumbledore said looking at Harry. 'Really Harry, I had more faith in you.'

Dumbledore had this way of making you feel worse than ever by saying something like that, showing his disappointment in you. But on Harry it flowed like water off a rock. He had used it wisely. He didn't kill for fun. No, he killed to protect, it was either his friends or the enemy.

'I' Harry started 'didn't do it for my own pleasure. Do you really think that I used it irresponsibly? Did I kill them before they did anything? No, I killed them after they tortured a three year old girl and killed her mother. What would you have done? And then you also have to consider that my friends were being threatened.'

'No Harry. That's not how it works. That's becoming one of them. Why did you make it? Couldn't you learn to protect yourself in other ways?' Dumbledore said sadly

'Professor, I'm in a rather different situation than you. You weren't destined to fight, I am. I can try to protect myself, but then I would die in war and leave the world to perish!' Harry said strongly and with a resolve that shocked Dumbledore

'I don't care what you say; I'm making my own decisions in this. I can feel Voldemort's blood lust. He seeks to kill. I think twelve years in isolation made him develop a different tactic. I read about the previous war and I can already tell you that this one will be different, innocent people will die because they live, not because they fight against him. I felt it when he killed his own minions, just for the rush, he's not just an Evil Wizard anymore, he's becoming crazy.'

'No human being can be like that.' Dumbledore said hotly

'Voldemort isn't a human being! It's going to be different. He will start when school begins again next term, to terrify the kids into joining him, not knowing whose parents will die next, not knowing when someone close to you will be sent home in a body bag, beheaded. I've seen how he talked to his followers, two hundred of them, giving them orders to kill for fun. Anyone they see must die, except those who will join him or "The Way Of The Old".'

'When did this happen?' Dumbledore exclaimed while standing up.

'Right now, about an hour ago.' Harry said 'I was taking a nap and saw it.'

'Are you sure?' Dumbledore exclaimed again 'It wasn't a normal dream?'

'No, it was real.' Harry said

'The wards would prevent him from sending you images.' Dumbledore mumbled to himself 'Then it is real. Harry, learn to do anything, Anything! Owl your friends immediately! Warn them! Give them The underage spell, DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO PREPARE!' Dumbledore screamed.

It was the first time that Harry saw his professor in such a state but Harry liked the thought that he was only human. It gave him some courage to stand strong and firm.

'I'm going to the ministry immediately. I don't know how long I will be able to keep fudge off of your case with that gun but it will have to be pushed to the back for now, if he doesn't drop it, I will force him to. This is of dire consequence. We'll speak shortly.'

Dumbledore bolted from the room, cloak swirling behind him, and disappeared. Harry too jumped into action, doing what he wanted to do since he had the _dream_. He grabbed the phoenix quill Fawkes gave him at the beginning of summer and wrote five notes.

_Luna_

_How is it going? I can assure you it will be going worse from now on because I had a vision of Voldemort. I told Dumbledore and he's currently at the ministry, trying to make Fudge see reason._

_I gave Hedwig a piece of parchment where you will find a spell that enables you to do underage magic. Use it, and do magic as much as you can. I can truthfully say that Voldemort will be out for blood when school starts again and I want us all to be prepared._

_Train as hard as you can, fighting and defending. I cannot say if Voldemort has something planned for the five of us but be prepared._

_Harry_

_P.S. I put a portkey with the spell to transport you (and anyone else you want to bring along) to Hogsmead if there is trouble. Oh, and thanks for the quibbler subscription._

_Neville_

_I want to warn you, I had a vision of Voldemort and Dumbledore is trying to sort it out. He gave me "direct" orders to give you this spell (it will enable you to do underage magic) and told me that you should do anything to train._

_Voldemort's not kidding this time around and is starting when school begin. I'm not sure if he got something planned for us but be prepared. The galleon is a portkey to take you and your grandmother to Hogsmead if something comes up._

_Thanks for the plant, it truly is magnificent. Do the best you can and good luck, I'll see you on September the first._

_Harry._

_Ron & Hermione_

_Sorry to write on one letter to you but I'm running late as it is. Voldemort is out for blood as soon as school start and I want you to be prepared. I had a vision, yes Hermione a true one (the wards around privet drive prevent him from sending me false ones) and briefly said "he is going to kill all of mankind." Except those who follow him of coarse._

_The spell will enable you to do underage magic, so use it as much as you can. Dumbledore said use anything you can to protect yourself and he actually screamed out "anything", so do it, except unforgivables…_

_Hurry up, none of us knows if he got something planned for us (friends) but be carefull. I expect Dumbledore to be around there sometime later today._

_Harry_

_Ginny_

_Voldemort is going for the kill as soon as school starts. He has about two hundred servants who is just as blood thirsty as he is. He's not going to kill people that oppose him but everybody that don't fight for his twisted ways._

_This summer I noticed something about you. You feel that it is your duty to fight, not because your family could be in harm but because you know it is expected of you by yourself. You were the one that actually wanted to learn to fight this summer. Well, it's been forced onto you now and there's no turning back. Learn everything and anything, including the books I transfigured to look like a flu remedy. It's rather useful and will train you to do things humanly impossible (strength wise.)._

_I know that Voldemort has something planned for me but I'm not sure if he got something for you as well (my friends), so be careful. I could feel the plotting going on in his brain as soon as the vision ended and he felt my presence. I'll be careful but don't tell this to anyone. They will want to keep me safe and put themselves in danger. I'll fight but if the trouble become to much I'll flee, so don't worry._

_Be strong_

_Harry_

He called Hedwig over and said 'Hurry girl, you have to get this to them as quick as you can. Don't stop for anything.'

She hooted once and didn't waste anymore time, flying out of the window and out of sight faster than Harry could ever remember her flying.

(A/N: Hi ladies and gents! It is finally time for my holiday so I can start writing like a madman(Nex). We hope you enjoyed this chapter… Look out for Chapter 6 soon, a lot of cool stuff coming up. Please review after you read, reviews are important to us, weather it's good or bad we don't mind.

Thanks

Nifty and Nex0r)


	6. What a Day

**Chapter six: What a day.**

Harry put on his trainers and sporting clothes, getting ready to go to his training. He walked out of the house and into the street as fast as he could because he was a little bit late. Before he knew it he was standing in front of the shop that looked like a house. He walked towards the door and rang the bell, hoping that this would be worthwhile. He waited patiently and when the door opened he saw a woman of about thirty standing in the doorway, dressed in a normal muggle outfit. She had deep blue eyes that looked full of life and energy, dark hair that looked black with red and purple streaks but it suited her. It didn't look outrageous but almost looked natural. She had an athletic build, that Harry was sure had come from training, and had strong facial features.

'Hello, I'm Harry potter. I made an appointment.' Harry said to the woman

'Mr. Potter,' she acknowledged 'please follow me.' She said standing aside for him to enter.

He walked past her and waited for her to close the door. When she was finished she turned to him and pointed towards a doorway to his left, which led to an office, Harry noticed. He walked towards it taking in his surroundings and saw that it was indeed a normal house that was transferred to a workplace in one side. When he entered the study, with her right behind him he sat down on one of the chairs and waited for her again.

'Well, lets get to it, shall we?' she said while sitting down. Once she was seated she continued 'I'm Retashia Cordeur but call me Tasha. I believe you're rather eager to learn Martial Arts.'

'Yes, as a matter of fact I want to learn it as quickly as possible…' He told her, remembering the dream he had.

'Do you have any idea how long it will take!? We took twenty-four years to be at the level we are now. Both our parents sent us for training since we were seven, it takes years to master this art.'

'I don't have years.' Harry mumbled softly to himself while thinking that maybe this was a mistake.

'But don't worry, we dedicated our lives for this. Obviously you don't want to, so it's not a problem.' She said full of life.

'Um, who are we?' Harry asked

'My husband, Xilion, and me, we met each other during training.' She said getting a glossy look in her eyes 'He'll be the instructor.'

'Someone talking about me?' a male voice asked from right behind Harry. He jumped slightly and relaxed when he saw a kind but strong looking man with a smile on his face standing at the doorway.

'Yes, we were. Here,' she motioned to Harry 'is the boy, Harry, who phoned yesterday. He's rather eager to begin so I suggest that you start on him.' she added as an afterthought.

'Yes sure.' He said holding out his hand 'Nice to meet you Harry, I'm Xilion.'

'So I've found out.' Harry said shaking the man's hand.

He was average height, black hair, longer than the average male hair but just too short to tie a ponytail and had eyes that looked light brown but when he changed positions, it changed to darker brown. He looked like the typical male warrior you would find in a movie.

'Follow me, I'll show you the training area.' He said kindly.

They walked through the house and came to an archway. He motioned for Harry to enter and walked in himself after Harry. It was a simple room, about the size of a big dining area but with nothing in it except for a small table at the far corner of the room. There were several swords, spears and poles on the wall right at the back of the room and a small gymnast sponge mat on the ground (two meters in radius).

'Nice place for training.' Harry noted.

Xilion chuckled a bit and said 'that's what it's supposed to be. So what do you want to do?'

'Anything that will be helpful in fighting.' Harry said

'Eager ain't we?' Xilion said 'this is nothing to be played with. You will definitely not succeed if you are in it to beat up other kids.'

'Why would I want to do that?' Harry asked without thinking 'Do I look like that type of person? I mean look at me, I'm haven't got the typical bully build do I?'

'No, no, didn't mean to take a blow at you.' Xilion apologised.

'It's fine. I'm a little bit on the jumpy side today.' Harry said already liking this man.

'Not to worry.' He said and walked to the front of Harry. 'I want you to hit me as hard as you can.'

'What?' Harry said in disbelief 'like in punch you?'

'Yes, how will I know on what level are you if you don't?' Xilion laughed. 'You won't hurt me, I promise.'

'Uh, are you sure this is necessary?' Harry questioned.

As soon as he was finished talking Xilion swung a fist towards Harry's face, but was stopped by Harry who deflected his blow with his left hand and stepped out of the way, standing in a typical duelling stance.

'What are you doing?' Harry asked although he had an idea.

'Provoking you.' Xilion said standing in a different stance.

'So if I hit you, we can stop this?' Harry questioned

'Why yes, glad you caught on.' Xilion mocked but was cut short by Harry lunging at the man with his left arm swishing forth and his right hand positioning itself at his side, ready to punch the actual blow. Xilion deftly block Harry's left hand with both of his hands, but Harry was sure only one was necessary. Harry used the momentum that Xilion gave him by deflecting his blow to the left and when his body started to turn he felt the physical magic working in his arm and shoulder this time (something Harry learned yesterday to give him more force.) he shot his right arm forward aiming for the man's exposed ribs.

Harry didn't want to put so much force into his punch but he was still having trouble controlling it so he let go. Xilion had a look of shock on his face but that changed to something that looked like realisation right before Harry's fist made contact but when it did it lifted the man right of off his feet, sending him flying backwards, but Xilion landed on his feet anyway in another fighting position. He stood up and stretched to one side. Harry who saw his gesture, relaxed slightly and stood normally again.

'A wizard eh?' Xilion said.

It took a moment for Harry to realise what he said but when he did Harry was completely stumped to say the least. He stood there gawping at the man opening and closing his mouth like a fish in water. All that he expected the man to say after he punched him, wasn't even close to this.

'Don't worry.' Xilion laughed 'I know about you lot. Walking around in robes, waving around wands and animating things when they think we're not looking.'

'How did you know?' Harry asked completely stunned

'I observe, my friend.' He said, 'you'll be surprised how stupid people can be. There's you lot thinking that no one is looking and then there's us, not even noticing people appearing and disappearing out of thin air.'

'So you know about us?' Harry questioned disbelievingly

'Yeah, I know about _your_ world and all of that. You wipe our minds hoping that we would forget.' Xilion laughed 'Really, the number of times someone tried that on me.'

'It didn't work?' Harry was having a hard time taking in all of this, muggles knowing about magic, the memory spell not working.

'It works all right. I saw people after it, they didn't remember a thing.' He laughed outright now 'Must be our training, learning to have total control over your body and mind.'

'Did you tell anyone?' Harry questioned

'We didn't need to.' He said sobering up a bit 'Why would we want to tell somebody? It's completely absurd, no one would believe us.'

'I guess you're right.' Harry said thinking about the war. Even Xilion wouldn't believe it.

'What's troubling you?' Xilion asked looking at Harry with concern.

'We're at war.' Harry told him before he could stop himself 'A sick person trying to kill all of the witches and wizards born out of non magical folk.'

Harry didn't know why he trusted this man so much but he felt like his secrets were safe with him. Harry told him everything, from his first year through to his final year at Hogwarts. He told him how the magical world works and what Voldemort did to him and his dead family. All the time Xilion sat and listened to Harry, asking questions when he didn't understand something and exclaiming at the unfairness of it all. At some point during Harry's story Tasha came with three mugs of tea and sat down to listen.

It was well after five when Harry finally finished but it felt rather good to tell it to someone who didn't have a clue about what he had been through. He knew somehow that he could trust the couple to keep their secrecy, he didn't know how but it was just there, telling him it's safe to tell them everything.

'And here I am now.' Harry said

'What a story Harry.' Tasha told him

'I'd like to meet this Dumbledore sometime. He sounds like an intriguing character.' Xilion added

'Are you sure he's that old?' Tasha said 'I mean about hundred and fifty, that's rather old. And you say he's still fighting as if he's in his prime?'

'He never talks about his age but I'm positive he's about that age.' Harry laughed

'This Voldemort, how powerful is he?' Xilion questioned seriously

'Most brave, fully grown men cower in fear before him.' Harry replied angrily, answering his question.

'This dream you had, do you really think he would want to come for you anytime soon?' Tasha asked

'Positive.' Harry said as he stood up 'I better head home. I'll see you tomorrow then.'

'Cheers Harry. They chorused 'And don't worry about all of the secret keeping and what not, we'll keep our mouths shut.'

'Thanks' Harry said while waiving.

He walked out the door and let himself out of the house. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even see the ten cloaked figures slipping out behind the house and walking towards the front door. When he was about to walk around the bend in the street he heard an ear piercing scream coming from behind him that was followed by a loud explosion. Harry spun around and saw the front door of the Cordears' house lying in pieces, smoking a bit. He set off running towards his new friend's house. He heard another scream, this time a man's and sped up even more. He knew exactly what happened but didn't want to believe it. He felt rage build up inside of him, he didn't even have a friend for two hours and already they where fighting for their lives.

He ran in the dusk until he reached the door that was blasted to pieces. He didn't even loose a pace when he deftly ran inside the house towards the training room but it felt to long for Harry, he bumped into the walls as he rounded corners. When he could see the archway leading towards the training area he sped up again and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

There were ten Death Eaters scattered around the room with two of them holding Tasha against the wall with binding charms and one of them training his wand onto Xilion, who laid on the floor writhing in pain covered in green light that Harry recognised as the crucatius curse. Harry was stunned to see that Xilion didn't scream out in pain but kept his mouth firmly shut.

One of the Death Eaters noticed Harry and shouted 'Lucius, he's here!'

The curse was lifted immediately but he kept his wand trained on Xilion and slowly turned towards Harry.

'So nice of you to join us Mr. Potter.' He drawled and Harry felt his rage increase three fold when he heard that voice.

'Leave them out of it!' Harry screamed 'You came for me. Why do you want to harm them?'

'But their stupid little toys, icle harrykins. Why is baby Potter sad to see them die?' He heard Bellatrix Lestrange mock. If Harry thought that he was mad a moment ago he was sorely mistaken. All the memories of Sirius came flooding back and Harry lost it. He snarled and summoned his gun without realising it while moving at such a speed that you would have a hard time seeing him even if you looked. He came to a halt right in front of Bellatrix with his wand pointing right in her face and his gun at Lucius.

'Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now!' Harry screamed in her face.

'Are you missing your mutt Potter? Did I kill him? O my, I guess I did.' She mocked again, earning a few chuckles from the rest of the hooded figures.

'SHUT UP!' Harry screamed '_STUPEFY!_' The red light hit her right in the middle of her forehead and she went flying back against the wall, making impact with a sickening crunch. Harry felt most of his anger leave him at the sight of Sirius' murderer sliding slowly towards the ground, unconscious or dead but he hoped that he could keep his cool from now on and not make such a stupid mistake like attacking when he was grossly outnumbered.

All hell broke loose and Harry knew that he would never be able to beat them all but he couldn't leave Xilion and Tasha behind. He dropped down to the ground and all of the spells missed him by inches. He crawled forward while releasing the bonds around Tasha and putting up a protection spell around him at the same time looking to see Xilion springing up and bolt for the far end of the wall where all of the weapons were being held.

Harry jumped up and ran forward, sidestepping a curse, while renewing his shield. When he came to a halt he was standing next to Xilion, who was holding onto a deadly looking spear and throwing a sword to Tasha.

'We have to get to my house. We'll be safe there.' Harry said hurriedly.

The Death Eaters were forming a circle around Harry and his companions who stood trapped in a corner.

'I believe we have a little problem Harry.' He whispered

'Yes, nine against three. Not good' Tasha added going into a fighting stance.

'Come with us Potter. NOW!' Lucius screamed

'Will you leave them alone if I come?' Harry asked knowing full well that he was doing a stupid thing.

'If you want us to and you come.' Lucius snarled

'Harry, stop this. You cannot go!' Xilion said like a true leader 'We fight! I challenge you to a duel!'

Lucius was completely shocked but then he laughed while shacking his shoulders to loosen them up.

'Come muggle and meet your death.' Lucius still laughed 'take whatever you need. Usually I'd kill you before you could speak but you performed so well against my crucatius curse that I'll give you a chance to die with honour.'

Xilion plucked a sword of off the wall behind him and whispered to Harry 'I'll distract them. Can you think off a way to escape?'

'Yes, are you sure of this. He's got a wand?' Harry said warily

'Of course, he's over confident. He won't be a problem.' Xilion said and yelled to Lucius 'Do you have a second to follow you up?'

'Do you actually think you can beat me?' Lucius laughed while walking towards the middle. 'Nott, my second?'

'It would be my pleasure' someone within the group said while Harry thought most of the inner circle was present.

'Tasha, mine?' Xilion asked

'Of course.' She said nodding encouragingly towards her beloved husband, full of faith.

Xilion walked to the middle and the two men looked at each other, standing at the ready. He bowed slightly and Lucius nodded his head.

'Now, stupid muggle, you die.' Lucius screamed '_Avada Kedavra!'_

The sickly green light shot out of his wand with a rushing noise, heading towards Xilion who moved faster than Harry saw anyone move before. He dropped down while rolling forward and when the spell was over his head he jumped out of his roll, two meters from Lucius.

Lucius wasn't a feared follower of Voldemort for nothing because he jumped back and cast another three spells in a fluent movement towards Xilion who in turn twisted to his side, dodging two of the strongest spells and deflected the third small one with the sword. Lucius cast two stunners in quick succession without realising that Xilion was gaining on him.

'Your end, fair warrior.' Xilion said the same moment as he swung his sword towards the enemy's neck but Lucius swirled his wand and stopped the sword right next to his ear. Xilion wasn't done because he lunged with all of his weight towards Lucius, spear point heading straight towards his chest. The point penetrated Lucius' rib cage and went straight through his heart, the blood stained spear point sticking out of his back.

Lucius was completely expressionless as he dropped his wand and fell to his knees. Xilion was standing in front of Lucius, head bowed, and waited until he dropped to his side, dead.

Xilion stared at the fallen warrior, with something like pity on his face and looked up at the stunned Death Eaters, challenging them to come for him.

'Can you see now that it doesn't matter if you can do magic or not? What matters is the will you put into what you do.' Xilion said to them all at random

'Muggle, come forth and fight me!' Nott screamed out in rage and disbelief.

'But I am ready.' Xilion said calmly 'It is you who are scared. Not only for me but what you fear Voldemort will do to you.'

All of the Death Eaters present shuddered, thinking of what would happen to them if they told the Dark Lord that Lucius was killed by a muggle.

Nott didn't waste any time to fight and he to screamed '_Avada Kedavra'_ but Xilion was prepared for it and went on the defensive. He moved at the same speeds as previously and sidestepped the rushing green light, that hit the window which blasted to pieces, showering them all in sharp glass shards. Some of it hit Harry in the face but he was still in sort of a daze, considering that Xilion killed one of the most feared Death Eaters, in less than ten minutes.

Nott, taking his advantage, however was controlling most of the shards and he sent them towards Xilion with most of it heading for his face. Harry was sure that Xilion was done for because he couldn't counter the spell on the glass, but he was sorely mistaken. Xilion continued as if it weren't there and struck a blow with another sword, glass pieces impaling his skin. His weapon struck Nott on the right arm, slicing a thin but deep cut into it.

Nott didn't loose a pace and countered with a restraining spell, which hit Xilion in the chest. The spell worked its magic and stopped Xilion with sharp cords of metal but he sliced the sword through some of the bounds, successfully breaking the chain and it fell to the ground. Pieces of glass whizzed passed Harry, heading towards Xilion. He dodged some of it but it still impaled itself in his cut and torn skin. Tasha threw him a wooden shield and Xilion caught it in mid stride.

He raised the shield towards the new wave of glass that impaled itself into the wood instead while turning in a low arch, heading towards Nott. With his shield still raised he swung it towards Nott's face and hit him around the cheek. All action stopped that instant when the blow was struck. Nott stood with his free hand on his cheek that had a lot of cuts on it because of the glass inside the shield, while Xilion took this as his advantage and pulled out most of the glass in his face.

'You can't even protect yourself, wizard.' Xilion stated resuming his defensive position.

Nott answered by screaming '_Crucio!'_ The amber light hit Xilion in the chest who raised his shield but it was incinerated to nothing. He dropped to his knees but didn't cry out or fall completely to the ground, with his jaw clenched and blood streaming out off all the numerous cuts on his face, he opened his eyes to show that he wasn't scared. As soon as Nott realized that the curse didn't do the damage he wanted it to do he lifted it with a look of confusion on his face.

There where numerous outbursts of rage from the Death Eaters and cheers of joy from Harry and Tasha. The current state didn't look good for Xilion though. Nott was relatively unharmed while Xilion had a vast number of cuts all over his body. Xilion sprung up with new resolve that came out of nowhere and ran towards the table where he picked up small darts.

Nott screamed out in irritation and flung a barrage of curses, so much that you couldn't even see one definite colour, towards the general direction of Xilion. Harry knew that Xilion would never dodge all of this so he raised his wand at his side quickly without anyone noticing it and erected a shield charm in front of Xilion who looked relieved to be spared most of the brunt, while Harry started to mutter counter curses as fast and as silently as he could. He managed to stop half of the beams of light either with counter spells or his shield charm while Xilion played his part perfectly, blocking the few that came through and the rest of the time pretending to have a hard time. Xilion used his free time wisely by placing three of the darts in the palm of his hand.

Getting a firm grip on them he pulled back and threw the three pegs with such force that Harry was sure it could kill a man. The darts flew through the air towards Nott at incredible speeds and hit him in the stomach, arm and shoulder simultaneously.

Nott screamed out in pain and staggered backwards while Xilion bolted for the window screaming to Harry 'Jump out of the window!'

Harry and Tasha didn't wait another second to comply and swiftly jumped out of the house landing on the soft grass. Xilion came diving out the window right after Harry with various curses following right behind him. He tilted his upper body towards the ground and landed by rolling one step while Harry and Tasha ran forth, towards Number four privet drive. When they were three meters away Harry casted the strongest barrier charm he could muster over the window that would hopefully give them some time to run. Harry ran like he never ran before and bolted down the street with Xilion and Tasha right behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see a spell coming from a Death Eater who obviously thought to run out of the front door.

'Watch out!' Harry yelled sidestepping, narrowly avoiding the curse.

They ran for another twenty meters when two Death Eaters apperated right in front of them. One of them shot a curse that went so fast Harry could hardly see it. The dark blue light stuck Harry in the left knee and he heard a crunching noise. Harry screamed out in pain and dropped down when his left foot made impact with the ground intensifying the pain. Tasha however didn't break a stride and jumped up lifting her pole she had in her hand and slammed it down onto one of the Death Eaters' head. She landed with her back towards the still standing one and shoved the pole backwards hitting him with the point of it. He dropped down, completely winded, while Harry sat up to inspect his left knee. What he saw didn't impress him one bit. His knee was swollen up incredibly and when he poked it with his finger he noticed that it was completely shattered.

'Harry can't you do something about that? They're right at our tails.' Xilion asked hurriedly.

Harry nodded slightly and transfigured a twig into a flat splint which he binded onto his leg. He stood up and stepped lightly onto his leg but the pain was unbearable.

'Aw, screw this!' Harry yelled out in frustration and cast the pain numbing charm that everybody warned him never to use.

He felt it work immediately and the next thing he knew he couldn't feel anything in his leg. He nodded towards Xilion telling him without words that they can go on.

They moved a bit slower from now on because Harry couldn't run fast with a stiff leg but every inch was necessary. When they where in sight from number four Harry moved with renewed strength. _Come on, almost there! Hurry!_ Was all that his mind shouted giving Harry motivation to complete the task at hand. He used some of his physical magic to keep up to the two fully trained warriors and he managed without incident. What troubled Harry however, was the fact that they didn't see too much of the Death Eaters in their run to freedom. He hoped with all that he was worth that they had returned to Voldemort but he knew that that wasn't true.

He was proved right when they moved past the small garden gate at number four and saw Seven Death Eaters appear right behind them. _Damn only two more meters! _Harry thought morbidly. He _knew_ that if they could get into the house everything would be all right, he could feel the magic's eagerness to protect him but it was rendered useless because Harry wasn't inside the place that he could call home.

'Potter, the games is over!' Bellatrix screamed 'How dare you attack me! Feel the pain that Voldemort can produce to all of those who oppose him!'

With a savage and primal snarl filled with hate and a sick pleasure she shouted _'ADURO!'_ A black beam of light, darker than anything Harry could imagine raced forth, towards Harry. Harry tried to get out of the way, he really did, but couldn't because of several factors. He was standing between Xilion and Tasha so he couldn't jump sideways and he couldn't duck because the spell wasn't only a straight beam of light. True the main beam had the radius of a football but it had at the same time coils swirling around it, half a meter in front of the point, directing it towards its destination and Harry knew that he was going to get hit with this clearly dark and powerful magic so he braced himself as best as he could, all for nought. The black light, no void, rushed forth screaming a sound that sounded like a banshee mixed with all of the darkest creatures you could think of. The loud and sickening sound almost forced you immediately to cover your ears but Harry didn't take notice.

He was concentrating as hard as he could to force his mind to realize that the pain was an illusion, not real, because that was all the Cruciatus curse was. When he felt that he was ready he opened his eyes just in time to see the coils make contact. It sunk into him but he felt no pain, nothing and he thought that he did it but the main beam stopped right before him. Harry looked with some curiosity at the coils disappearing into his torso but the main beam that stayed right in front of him.

Only when the last piece of coil was inside of him did the main beam move. It reared back like a snake going for the strike and suddenly shot forth with a screeching sound that sent shivers down Harry's back. All thoughts of successfully avoiding the pain were rushed out of Harry's mind when it touched him. In fact, _all_ thoughts were wiped from his mind except one, the one telling him that he was in pain, incredible, unbearable pain.

Harry felt it first in his torso, where the spell struck, but it spread so fast that it was all over his body in an instant. It was the Cruciatus curse all right, but this curse didn't create an illusion of pain, this was real, sick and inhuman. Harry could feel the magic burning his flesh, scorching his skin, breaking his bones and incinerating his body in the worst ways imaginable. Every place where a nerve ending was situated was being assaulted, burned and broken. This was pain; true pain and Harry couldn't do anything to stop it. He couldn't even kill himself because it was the only though that raced through his mind, if he could kill himself this would stop.

Harry lost all meaning of time, he didn't know how long he was under the spell but it didn't matter for him. Every second under this spell was a second too long. When Harry felt the pain ease a bit, he opened his eyes a crack to see Tasha slamming the door shut of number four and Xilion standing right above him looking him in the eye with concern. As soon as the door was closed Harry felt it for the first time, the legendary ancient magic his mother ensured around his house, and legendary it was. Harry felt safe once the magic was released, he knew it wouldn't let any harm come to him. A white light spread out over Harry, coming from his chest, and formed a circle around him, going into the ground, through Xilion who looked on with aw. It was there, protecting him, until Harry finally passed out from pain, exhaustion and fatigue, then it spread out.

Xilion watched with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as the black light hit his new young friend and fellow warrior. He saw the look in Harry's eyes change from concentration to realisation and then to an expression that one could only define as utmost pain. His eyes rolled to the back of its sockets with tears forming on them, while his muscles went stiff as a board. Harry collapsed on the ground with a scream that touched Xilion deeply. First there were only Harry's screams coming from within the black light then you could see smoke rising slowly from his body and finally there came blood. It came out of his mouth, eyes, nose, arms and everywhere you could see. It didn't even take twenty seconds for the smell of burning flesh to hit his nose, and only then did Xilion realise that if he didn't do something Harry would die or loose his mind. Tasha was already at the door, opening it wide while Xilion grabbed Harry around his arm with a firm grip, ignoring the pain that shot up his own. Xilion pulled Harry back as fast as he could, towards the house and when he was finally inside Tasha slammed the door shut.

He looked at Harry's bloodied, tearful eyes and then he felt it, the ancient magic that Harry told them about earlier that day. It was a force so powerful that Xilion was sure it could destroy this very world if it wanted to. Xilion saw it starting at Harry's chest where his heart was, a white dome of light, and then it started to grow. It formed a secure circle around Harry, covering every inch of his body and went through everything, including himself. The white dome was half way through his head but he didn't feel anything except the urge to protect Harry with everything that he had. He looked Harry in the eye again and when Harry finally passed out the light spread out, seeking the person who had intentions to harm Harry. The light spread out and moved at a speed so fast that his own trained eyes were having trouble following it. He looked out of the window and saw the people standing outside, all with looks of pure terror on their faces.

When the dome of white light reached them it stopped for a split second and then suddenly lunged forth with a new, stronger power. It was as if the light was angry, very angry because it expanded so fast it looked like a shockwave from a nuclear bomb, not doing any damage to anything else except the Death Eaters. They were blasted back but it didn't stop there, it swiped them away as it expanded, forbidding them to come within the safety of the dome.

Xilion watched, with amazement, as the light grew bigger, taking the Death Eaters with it. One unfortunate soul had a wall to go through but the light showed no pity because it went forth, pushing the Death Eater right through it. Most of them used their brains and disappeared, which Harry told them was called apparating. Only two of them stayed behind, the one that went through the wall and another who was blasted down the street.

When the light finally stopped it had made a radius of about two kilometres all around. It stood proud and tall, challenging anybody to even try and do harm to Harry. Xilion was glad that the whole ordeal was over, and he was sure it was over.

'Are you sure I'm not dreaming?' Tasha asked.

'You know, that's one of the biggest reasons that I married you.' Xilion replied.

'What's that?' she asked again.

Xilion walked over and embraced her in a hug while saying 'Your ability to make me feel happy when I usually couldn't.'

They stayed like that for a while until they heard noisy pops all around the house.

'Well, here comes the clean up crew.' Tasha said

Albus Dumbledore was beginning to feel the first waves of irritation overcoming him that eventually would become anger because of Fudge's stupidity. The man wouldn't believe a word he was telling him, that the Ways of the Old should not be taken lightly and that Harry and his friends were in possible mortal peril.

'Albus, see reason.' There he goes again. 'Harry is a delusional boy. He made himself a _gun_ for Merlin's sake! The Ways of the Old. Ha, where have you heard about that? I can assure you that we have a rather powerful force at our command.'

Dumbledore gave a huge sigh and rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses.

'Do I have to force you to do what I say, again?' questioned the old man 'Have you forgotten who placed you into that chair you are sitting in now? You will…'

But his words were cut short by the feeling that overcame him. The feeling he thought that he would never experience at his command as the leader of the light. He felt the sick spell being cast, a noxious feeling but laced with something one could only describe as Dark. He sunk back into his chair, feeling all of his years. He felt old, but most of all he felt dread. If he assumed correctly, the spell was being cast on Harry and without him all hope was lost. _The fidelis dolor curse is long forgotten. All of the dark wizards seek it but none have ever succeeded._ He thought morbidly. He couldn't even imagine the pain that Harry was feeling at that moment.

'It has begun!' Dumbledore shouted at Fudge 'Bring Aurors, medics, and anybody willing to come, as much as you can to number four Privet Drive. Do it, or I shall force you from your position as minister of magic, I promise you that!'

Dumbledore pulled his wand and closed his eyes, preparing himself for battle. He had already signalled the Order to go but then he felt it, a force so strong and powerful that he couldn't even begin to rationalise it. He looked over to Fudge and saw the same look on his face.

'The ancient protection magic.' Fudge whispered with awe.

'Yes. Thank goodness.' Dumbledore said feeling the joy in his stomach. 'Get them there, all of them. Harry will need all of the help he can get.'

'And again he causes trouble beyond recognition.' Fudge said

'Heed my warning.' Dumbledore said only a moment before he apperated to number four privet drive.

He landed at exactly the same moment as the rest of the Order and cast one look around him, seeing the typical battle signs.

'Is he safe?' One of them screamed.

'He is.' Dumbledore replied 'The wards wouldn't have gone up otherwise.'

'Goodness me, did you feel it?' Molly asked with awe.

'Molly, I think every wizard in England felt it.' Her husband answered.

Dumbledore moved towards the door but stopped as it swung open, revealing a man with a sword with a woman right behind him pointing a lethal looking spear right towards Dumbledore's crooked nose. Dumbledore jumped back in an instant and pulled his wand but the two people were just as fast and moved towards him.

'Stop!' Dumbledore screamed as he fired a binding spell towards the man who was closer. The stranger jumped to one side and dodged his spell easily while the woman stood her ground, keeping Dumbledore within range of her spear.

'Who are you?' the man screamed

'I am Albus Dumbledore.' He replied calmly.

The man looked at him through narrowed eyes, and for the first time Dumbledore felt how it must feel to be at the receiving end of his trademark, _piercing stare_. The stranger lowered his sword and stuck out his hand

'I'm Xilion.' He stated 'Harry came to us earlier today for martial arts training. He told us everything that happened in his life and about the war.'

'That can wait for later.' Dumbledore said 'Tell me what happened.'

'As he was leaving ten Death Eaters attacked us.' Xilion began 'Harry came back and stunned someone called Bellatrix. We were outnumbered so our only chance of surviving was to flee. I challenged a Lucius to a duel to buy us time, after I killed him, a Nott seconded him and at that time Harry jumped out of the window. We ran here without much incident but they apperated right behind us and the Bellatrix hit Harry with a spell, Fidelis something… I think. I pulled him into the house and Tasha followed us.' He motioned with his sword towards the woman with the spear 'Once the door was closed a light came out of Harry and enlarged. It blasted the Death Eaters away. Some apperated but two are still here. That's what happened, basically.'

'Where's Harry?' Dumbledore questioned urgently

'Inside, he passed out.' Tasha said.

'Molly, see to him. I daresay that he was in rather a lot of pain and suffering.' Dumbledore said while Molly ran past him, followed by most of the order. 'Tell me, what motivated you to fight. Why not leave him?'

'That is not the way to live. We have been doing martial arts training for about twenty years. We've learned a lot about life and war.' Xilion said

'In short, we're not cowards.' Tasha added

'We want to help you in this war, any way we can.' Xilion said with resolve.

'If the world only had more people like you we wouldn't be at war.' Dumbledore said sadly but perked up 'Tell me about yourselves and your past. Where did you get your magical education and where did you learn to do martial arts, a muggle fighting style if I'm correct.'

Xilion and Tasha looked at each other and then burst out laughing. 'We're not wizards. We are your typical muggle.' Xilion panted

'A muggle you say,' Dumbledore looked at them, his eyes twinkling, 'and yet you defeated one of the most feared Death Eaters. Let's talk.'

After they were finished it was well into the night. Harry was healing nicely in his bed while the Dursleys didn't have the faintest idea of what was happening. Harry's friends were notified that he would recover quickly and everything was settling down. The Death Eaters were taken care of and the muggles' memories were being wiped. The Cordeur's would become part of the order as soon as possible and would train Harry sufficiently. The more Dumbledore talked to them, the more he liked them. They were the kind of people you respected, if only for their personalities. But the best part by far was that Fudge had intended to break Harry's wand and to give him a ministry hearing in front of the Wizangamot but was unable to come closer than two kilometres because of the ward. Molly even managed to take a wizarding photo of him banging on the white light, looking remarkably like a three-year-old kid throwing a tantrum.

When Harry woke up, the first thing he could recall was having a good time with his two new friends, but then it all came flooding back: the attack, the escape, and the strange spell. When he recalled the pain of it he had to make sure he wasn't dreaming or dead by touching his face and feeling the salve on it, he knew someone had tended to his wounds. _Another encounter, almost the to death,_ Harry thought morbidly, a_nd as if I didn't already think that Voldemort was sick and twisted, he had to come up with something like this_. He tried to sit up but was restrained some kind of hard material covering his whole body.

'Harry!' he heard someone scream, a female voice he only heard at the Hogwarts infirmary 'Thank goodness, you're awake. How are you feeling?'

'Tied up.' Was all that Harry said to the nurse.

'Yes well it was necessary; you were literary burned all over.' She said sympathetically 'Skin burned; flesh almost completely charred and blood loss. Nothing beyond repair though, everything should be healed in a day or two.'

'Is everyone all right? Xilion?' Harry asked remembering Xilion's duel.

'Yes, yes, everyone's fine. You're the only one we were concerned about.' Madam Pompfrey explained 'Dumbledore will be around here in an hour or so.'

'What time is it?' Harry asked

'It's nearly seven.' She told him 'It was chaos for about three hours but Dumbledore will explain everything, eat while you wait for him.'

Harry started to sit up but the bounds all over him were still there. Madam Pomfrey undid it quickly and left without a word. After he dressed He sat down again and started on his meal, hearing the occasional shout from outside of his window.

After he ate he stood up and went to the window. Outside the street were medi-wizards standing in a group talking to his school nurse, Aurors running around helping Obliviators modify memories of muggles and ministry officials talking to various Order members.

Harry also saw a few people dressed in black with gold lining at the edges doing things like prodding the walls of his house or inspecting the front door. He assumed that they were unspeakables doing some research because of the magic. When he concentrated he could still feel the feeling of safeness and security that came with the barrier.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky where he could see a fading white dome. It was still there in all its might and power but it seemed to be settling down a bit. He heard a knock on the door and turned around to see professor Dumbledore standing with an expression on his face that seemed troubled but at the same time happy.

'It's good to see that you healed sufficiently.' Dumbledore said with relief in his voice.

'What was it that they used on me?' Harry asked rubbing his eyes and feeling salve on the lids. 'Was it something to do with this new, _Ways of the Old_?'

'Indeed it was.' He told Harry with a sad and troubled look in his eyes. 'Let me tell you what has been passed on to me… But where to start?'

'The beginning.' Harry mused sarcastically.

'Yes, I suppose I should.' Dumbledore whispered while sitting down clearly making himself ready for a long talk. Harry followed suite and seated himself on his bed, folding his legs beneath him.

'In a community of not many people, between magical and non-magical there was peace. They had lived in harmony for as long as they could remember. Non-magical people had the imagination while magical people made whatever the muggles told them to. Wizards and Muggles were co-operating peacefully without any troubles. They simply accepted one another for who they were and what they could or could not do.

It went like this for some time, all the while the community grew. Some time later when there was about twenty thousand people one couple decided to go on a pilgrimage that eventually destroyed them. The two lovers were known throughout the community and the people looked up to them. They went on their journey with one plan in their head, to explore the world. But when they came back they were different people, they were bloodthirsty and hated everything non-magical. The kings, yes they had two, believed that something, something evil, possessed them or convinced them to something other than what they were brought up to be. The walked into the gates and killed two muggles with a spell so sick and disgusting that children fell into a psychological illness who witnessed it. The thing gave them power so strong that all of them felt it. But it was not power they were used to… This power was evil. The king came and tried to reason with them but they tortured him with the very same spell Bellatrix hit you with.

All of this happened in the town square and people came out of their houses because of the disturbance. The fallen king stood up after the curse was lifted and asked for a moment to consider their proposal, to kill all the muggles. He walked over to the muggle king and whispered one thing in his ear "We fight, or die trying, to vanquish this evil." When both kings pulled out their weapons, one a sword and the other a wand they called out to the community to finish their job if they died. People lived to the age of six hundred easily in those times and when the kings' wives and family stood behind them, the whole community gathered their arms and went to meet their eventual death.

All of the children who could fight joined their kings except four friends, about the same age as you are. The two boys were friends since birth and grew up together. They told one another everything and would have gladly paid with their lives if the other were in danger. There where two friends, girls, who shared an equally strong friendship and eventually they became friends with the two boys. One of the girls fell in love with one of the boys and their friends fell in love with one another not long after that. These four friends were known by most of the community but none noticed that they were the strongest there. The two girls were Muggles but they could fight like no one had ever seen. They started the Martial Arts and could do all of the forms you could find in a book today. The boys were wizards. They too were strong, stronger that anyone could have imagined possible at that time. They talked to one another and decided to flee. Sure they could have stood their ground and fought but they were wise as they were strong.

The battle went on for three days straight, not once stopping and eventually the people left over died of exhaustion. The evil couple looked over at all of the bodies, some had started to stink, and walked out of the town walls not even a trace of sweat on their faces after three days of fighting, non stop.

The couple dominated the other communities but eventually met their downfall when they placed those two girls under the Fidelis Dolor curse. That battle between the four friends and the evil couple went on for weeks. Neither side backed down, not once to rest or to drink even a sip of water. Some people knew that they were given power by the very entities of good and evil while others simply couldn't grasp the concept of fighting for days, not even mentioning weeks.

The witnesses to the fight couldn't help them; they were forced back by the friends. The friends didn't want anyone to be killed anymore. The two girls died first, and then the boys killed themselves, sending all of their good magic towards the evil couple. The two powers cancelled each other out and that was the end of the four friends who sacrificed themselves in order to rid the world of evil. The people performed a charm that would encircle the world and remove all knowledge of how to perform the evil spells and place it in a small bottle that could contain thought. They hid it has been lost ever since...until now.'

When Dumbledore was finished with his tale Harry couldn't move an inch. Something nagged at the edge of his mind though and Dumbledore seemed to read his mind.

'A dairy was written by the four friends and it was passed on to fighters of the light. There were three spells. Firstly the Heart shattering curse. It sucks all of your blood into your heart and then blows up. Then the Fidelis Dolor curse, pain as you experienced and then lastly the Pain of the mind curse, it puts your mind into such pain, despair and depression that the victim complies to anything the caster tells them to do. The killing curse, Crucatias curse and Imperious curse in their original forms. The wizards designed the spells for good, killing murderers or torturing information from them. The spells were eventually used for bad and the original spells seemed lost.'

'And now Voldemort found it with a resolve to kill all at will.' Harry concluded silently

'That indeed is correct.' Dumbledore said 'We must do all we can or the world will change into something I cannot even think about.'

'I somehow knew that this would come.' Harry said with new resolve 'I _will_ fight and defeat Voldemort.'

'Harry, I don't want a repetition of what happened to the four friends.' Dumbledore told him seriously

'Don't worry sir. I don't plan to get killed nor do I plan to let any of my friends die.' Harry promised his Headmaster

Dumbledore gave a small smile and said 'Somehow I believe you Harry, as strange as it might sound, but I believe you. Everyone has had a rather busy night…'

Later that day, after Dumbledore filled Harry in on all of the happenings including Fudge, Harry found himself in the shower thinking all of it through. With the hot water spraying him clean and the new knowledge, he had he made a mental list of things he needed to do.

After he washed, he promised himself that no matter what, he would still enjoy the small things in life. He thought about the stupid minister of magic and decided that he would arrange the date for his _hearing_. He wasn't troubled though, he had some things he wanted to say and in one shot give him a clean record while making a proposal to help them all in this war.

He dried himself and wrote replies to the letters from his friends (Dumbledore gave them to Harry), reassuring them that no lasting damage was done and declining the visit to number twelve Grimmauld place. He wanted to use the remainder of summer to spend time with his new friends and to train in martial arts.

Later that day he went down to find everything restored back to normal. All of the people gone and the Dursleys' memory modified. He ate his lunch quickly and went back to his room to find Hedwig, with a note attached to her leg sitting on his bed. He untied the note and saw that it was written in normal paper and pen meaning that it could only come from one of two people.

_Dear Harry_

_Hopefully you had made a full recovery and are doing fine._

_If you can, come around at eight for dinner. There are also some things that we need to discuss._

_Xilion & Tasha_

At seven thirty Harry pulled on his trainers and went out of his door only to walk straight into Dudley.

'Hu, wa?' Dudley mumbled while Harry backed up a bit.

'Sorry.' Harry mumbled sheepishly, not knowing what else to say.

'Mummy?' Dudley asked strangely 'You look like Harry today.'

'Dudley, I am Harry.' He didn't know what was wrong with Dudley but he suspected it had something to do with his memory being modified.

'O, yeah right, I remember now.' Dudley said cheerfully, looking like a pig that had just gotten enough food for a whole year.

Harry didn't waste any more time with his, now delusional, cousin and he slipped past Dudley and trotted down the stairs to find his Aunt and Uncle talking to one another but referring to different people. It looked like each one was making his own conversation that reminded Harry a lot of Lockhart. He walked out of the door smiling slightly to him self thinking that they had had it coming for a long time.

When he finally reached the Cordeur's house he knocked once and waited patiently. Tasha opened the door and smiled at him beckoning for him to come inside. Harry walked in and looked at Xilion standing with a huge grin on his face.

'How about that.' Xilion said 'The first time that we actually see magic it was something that most wizards and witches hadn't seen in their entire lives.'

'I saw a half giant the first time.' Harry laughed along 'Maybe everybody sees something rare the first time.'

'Come on lets eat.' Tasha moaned.

They walked into the dining room where a roasted chicken was waiting on a plate with some fresh veggies and rice. When they finally finished their meal sharing small talk about Xilion's training, Tasha stood up and went to a pile of books in a corner.

'These books will help you.' She told him 'But don't for one second think if you read all of them you can do martial arts.'

'That much I have gathered.' Harry replied dryly. 'But thanks, I'll have them done tomorrow or maybe a bit later.'

Xilion burst out laughing while saying 'Seriously Harry, it seven books.'

Harry smiled and told them with a secretive look 'I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Wait and see.'

'Whatever you say, come by tomorrow at eight and we'll test you a bit.' Tasha said.

As soon as Harry was in his room he made himself comfortable and started the spell. It was some time after four in the morning that Harry finished with all of them, and to say that he was tired would be to call a dragon, an irritating fly. He didn't even try to fend off Osiris', who was sending small balls of flames towards Hedwig, and fell asleep immediately.

It was already three in the afternoon when Harry finally woke up with a start, his body completely covered in sweat. He had a dream where all of the people he killed haunted him while his parents, Sirius and Cedric told him he was becoming exactly like Voldemort. A dream he some how knew would stalk him, like a panther looking for prey.

He went to the shower, desperate to wash himself clean of the thoughts that contaminated him like a virus. He scrubbed himself for what felt like hours but he still felt dirty, his skin was starting to turn red from the sponge that eventually fell apart into small pieces. All of the memories, the things his parents and Sirius said to him clouded his mind like a dense black smoke, the people he killed crying and telling him that they were innocent and the hopelessness of trying to wash it off, it was all too much.

He slumped to the ground, the water still spraying, shaking his head, trying desperately to shake off all the memories but it was hopeless. They kept replaying themselves in his head, tearing him apart from the inside. At that moment the first tears were shed for the people Harry killed.

No matter how evil they where he still felt like a rotten murderer. They had family, you know how hard it is to loose family! They had loved ones! How could he do something like that, become one of them. The thoughts were too much, he felt like all of his power was gone. The very act of breathing was too much, moving a muscle felt like trying to move a mountain. They only thing that seemed to function were his tear glands.

_Why did they have to attack us? Why! _His mind would scream out in hollow sounds _If they left us they could have lived. Why? How could I kill them?_

He didn't know how long he was in the shower but eventually when it became dark again he dressed without knowing what he pulled on but only his instinct telling him to cover himself. He walked to the Cordeur's house without much incident, except the thoughts of his dream.

'Harry, what's wrong with you?' Xilion asked worriedly as he opened the door.

He immediately pulled Harry inside and sat him down on the nearest chair.

'Tasha! Come here' He screamed 'Harry, talk, say something.'

'How could I do it?' Harry's voice whispered 'They had family, people loved them and now their gone because of me.'

Tasha came in at the same moment that Harry started to talk but she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight. He looked almost dead, his eyes sunk deep into his skull, looking like they didn't want to see anymore. His skin pale and moist from sweat and a terrible look on his face. It was a look she recognised as one of pure self-loathing, hatred for the very being that made a person unique.

'Harry, remember this.' She said gently, lifting his chin with her hands. His normal green eyes that told everyone he wielded power beyond imagination were gone. His eyes were not the same green, no, this green was nauseating and it would make the most cheerful person remember the worst in all off their lives. He's eyes told everyone that this person hated himself for something that should make him stronger, a better person, not because he killed but because he protected even if his own sanity was at stake.

'The burden would never be placed onto someone that couldn't take it. Never.'

'Come here.' Xilion whispered gently, while leading Harry towards the spare room. 'Sleep here tonight.'

As he lay Harry down on the bed Tasha gave him a small needle, giving him a small nod.

'Sleep Harry and forget about the evil in you.' She told him 'we, the warriors, have to face this everyday but it can be controlled. Believe in yourself and dream wonderful but true dreams. Only The Strong have this placed upon them, but we can handle it. Only if we go down can we stand up again. You'll Be a stronger and better person after this but remember that nothing will be placed onto you if you couldn't handle it.'

She looked at Xilion and nodded again.

'Sleep now Harry.'

Xilion looked at Harry's vacant eyes again but he could see the words was starting to sink in and with an encouraging smile towards Harry, he pricked the skin near Harry's main artery in his neck with the needle and watched as the ancient Martial Artist Remedy took effect and whisked Harry away to a blissful place in his own mind, to sort out all of his troubles.


	7. Heading Home

**Chapter 7 – Heading home.**

_He was flying, flying under his own power to a destination unknown. He was being guided however, through the clear blue sky by something, it didn't have a form, it wasn't even visible but he knew that he should follow this small thing inside his very being._

_He could remember only moments before how he despised it, loathed it and wanted nothing more than to destroy it but now, now he didn't want it gone. No he realised as soon as he came into this dream, because he knew it was a dream, that he needed it to go on. It was the very same thing a Dementor sucks out._

_As he flew, he saw images, almost all of the things that happened in his life, whizzed past him. The only difference was that unlike his nightmare it didn't scare him. It made him aware that it was their time to go, no matter how much he thought about alternate possibilities. The scenes changed, only one fraction like someone looking at something else and the end result was horrifying._

_He realised there and then that nothing will happen if it wasn't meant to be. If he didn't do what he did, somebody else would have been killed. He saw that the outcome of his first battle was better than what he could have thought possible. Every other choice that there was came forth in a memory, not his own but altered and what he saw was that the way it happened was the best._

_He spent so long a time that it felt like an entity there on his own, flying to wherever he would tell himself to. Every possible thing that nagged his mind was sorted out, reasoned the better choice or simply been accepted. Not all was solved but it was made lighter, like a rock that is heavy but changed to a small pebble to play with._

_It was changed to a challenge, to make him stronger, a better person. He could handle challenges without any trouble and he welcomed them. Only if he had doubts will that challenge change to a battle and finally lead to death. He wouldn't fall into that trap again, he assured himself, and he knew how it started so he wouldn't be lured into the big black hole again._

Harry woke up to the sounds of birds chirping in the early morning sun, the smell of flowers and the sight of light streaming through the window, marking today as a new day.

For the first time in weeks Harry found that he didn't regret waking up. He stood up and looked around the room that Xilion placed him in yesterday. It was a simple room that held all of the necessities including a painting on the wall and some flowers on a table.

He went to the kitchen and saw that nobody was up already, so he made some tea and waited patiently while thinking. He knew the Cordeur's for three days now and already they helped him fight, physically and mentally. He knew that people like this was hard to come by and was glad to know that they would be helping him train at Hogwarts.

'Ah Harry, your awake.' Harry looked up to see Xilion standing at the doorway to the kitchen with a small smile on his face. 'How is everything?'

'Fine.' Harry told him sincerely 'I don't know what you did but, thank you.'

'Don't thank us.' He told him 'Should we have left you like that?'

'I guess not, but still, thanks.' Harry told him again.

'Like I said it's nothing. Let me go wake up Tasha.' Xilion said taking two cups of tea with him. 'She wouldn't get out of bed without a warm cup of tea or something, so I make her one every morning.'

Harry laughed and started to animate the spoons and cutlery to make some breakfast. He was still wondering about how easy it is to make food with magic. He made some eggs, bacon and fruit salad for three and when he was about finished Tasha strolled in looking completely asleep.

'Hello Harry. Xilion told me you were awake.' She said, her words slurring along with her to the chair. Once she was seated Xilion came in freshly showered and looked at his wife with amusement.

'How I love the early mornings.' Xilion said cheerfully, earning a strange look from Tasha.

Harry magicked all the food on three separate plates and hovered it over to them. He never had the chance to make food magically so he made the most of it.

'And I thought technology will make the new generation lazy.' Tasha said tiredly.

'It's my first time I cooked a meal magically.' Harry retorted.

'We'd better watch out then.' Xilion laughed.

While they were eating Harry remembered something Dumbledore told him.

'How will you be getting to Hogwarts?' Harry asked 'are you going to be appointed to teach there or something?'

'O, no. Dumbledore told us to ask you for a portkey or something along those lines.' Tasha asked more than said.

'Yes, I knew I shouldn't have done that in front of him.' Harry laughed 'I'll make you one. And we still have to work out the finances of you training me.'

'Harry, don't worry about it.' Xilion said 'We have other customers to. We consider it as our duty.'

'Then I will find someone else.' Harry said firmly 'I'll pay you.'

'If it is that a big a deal to you it is fine.' Tasha said 'Now, make us a portkey. I'm rather curious.'

'Look closely.' Harry told them mysteriously.

He took a spoon and transfigured it to a simple amulet with some useless "runes" around the sides. Next he animated it to change into a miniature samurai if someone touches it and ask a small riddle. The very same one the sphinx asked him in his third task long ago. If they told it correctly it will activate the portkey but if it was wrong the small figure would attack. Next he had to made the portkey, the hard part.

He had to make it to transport to and fro from here to near Hogwarts. He could make a portkey, one way and not nearly so far with ease but he was having trouble to get all the needed information into his head at the same time to perform the complex spell. He didn't even try to make it into Hogwarts wards because he knew that only the headmasters can do it but he decided that he would try at a later stage, maybe when he was at school for a small challenge.

He made it firstly to go into his room at number four privet drive for a tester and when he felt like all of the things was in his head he said clearly but softly '_Portus_'. It shimmered blue for a second or so and then turned back to its original transfigured state.

'I think this will do it.' Harry said 'Come here and hold on. I made it to transport us to my room.'

The two nodded and walked over without hesitation and took hold of the small amulet. Harry saw this as a signal to how much they trusted him and was glad for it. The amulet changed into the samurai and looked Xilion up and down. Harry touched it on it's head and whispered into the things ear 'spider.' before it could ask the riddle.

He felt the familiar tug in his navel and felt himself being whizzed away by the magic. Harry landed as usual, falling or almost falling over but Xilion and Tasha looked like they quite enjoyed the ride. Harry always thought that wizarding travel was fast and effective but not quite comfortable.

'I presume that it worked.' Xilion said

'Yeah, let's go back.' Harry said while motioning for them to hold on again. Once everybody had a part of the small object, Harry whispered the password again. They landed in much the same manner and when Harry regained his composure he took it and redid the charm to go to Hogwarts gates instead of his room.

'Here, it'll take you to Hogwarts.' Harry said longing back to his home. 'I'll get you from where you will land.'

'Thanks Harry.' The two said together.

'When do you want to start your training in earnest?' Xilion asked after a moment 'You're already on a rather high level but there are still lots of space for improvement.'

'We can start now. I read all the books you asked me to.' Harry told them

'Sure Harry, sure.' Tasha said while motioning for him to follow her.

They spent about two hours going over some of the things that Harry thought were common knowledge like using the momentum people give you by deflecting your blows and so forth. After they stated that he was sufficient with the average martial arts they told him to hang onto the pole in the corner of the room until they return. What Harry suspected to be a rather short time, maybe five minutes turned to fifteen and still no one in sight. He thought about dropping and getting up again if he heard them but he was sure that this must be something important.

So Harry hung on. Fifteen minutes turned into thirty minutes but it was beginning to show. He's hands were sweating, his arms felt like it was dislocating from his shoulders and he was damn well tired. He looked at the clock once again and saw that three minutes passed since he last looked but it felt like an eon. He thought about using magic but shrugged it away because he knew that someone else could do this without magic and so could he. After fifty minutes he couldn't take it anymore. He released his left hand to reach for his wand but his right hand couldn't take all of the strain so his fingers started to slip. When only one finger was left on the pole he felt the tingling sensation in it. _Yes! Yes! Yes! _He thought. He couldn't believe how stupid he was not to remember it earlier but he was grateful that he did now.

He willed it into his finger and at once he had strength to pull himself up properly. He was hanging now by two hands again and he felt the magic work in him. Every time the magic seemed to go away Harry would summon it back again, forcing it to hold on. After another hour he could feel the strain, not physical anymore but magical. His magic would become more willing to go away and Harry felt like it was going to leave him any second now. But still he willed it back, gaining the upper edge on gravity. After thirty more minutes he dropped like a fly and when he landed he could hardly breathe. A few seconds later the two ran inside and looked at Harry.

'Damn Harry!' Xilion exclaimed 'two hours and twenty minutes! I haven't ever seen anybody go over an hour.'

'I must see.' Harry whispered hoarsely.

He pulled out his wand with a hand so slow Voldemort could have spit him to death.

'_stupefy._' He whispered, pointing his wand at Xilion's feet.

The red light left his wand but it wasn't the spell Harry was used to, no this spell was rather useless. The main beam was as thin as a match stick and the red was fading fast. The spell moved slower than usual and when the spell made impact Xilion giggled slightly as if being tickled.

'What's wrong?' Tasha asked

'I used physical magic after fifty minutes.' Harry whispered again 'I think I drained most of my magic.'

'O' was all that she said, not knowing what to do.

'I'll be alright.' Harry reassured more himself than them 'only some time to recuperate.'

'I think maybe this is all for today.' Xilion said 'usually the lesson doesn't take more than an hour but thanks Harry.'

'For what?' he said while standing up shakily.

'For showing determination.' Xilion replied proudly 'Very few can say that they gave all in here but you can. See you tomorrow.'

With that said Harry walked home, thankful that his arms can swing gently by his side and not carry his whole weight. When he got home he started to think what he would tell Fudge. He had a vague idea of what he wanted to say but he didn't like to take advantage of the situation like that. After he thought it through he decided that it would be the only and best way, both sides.

_Minister Fudge_

_I was informed of your visit to my house the day when Voldemort showed us all that he is, indeed not kidding around. Needless to say, you couldn't reach me in your state of mind._

_I want to tell you that I shall be available on the 22 of September for a ministry hearing and not another day. I will not however surrender my wand to you and I never will. I will await an owl from you telling me the details of my hearing._

_Yours truly,_

_Harry Potter_

Harry reread the letter and decided that he had to play his cards carefully in order to continue his magical education with a letter such as this to the minister of magic. He twirled his wand and the parchment rolled itself neatly up, complete with a Potter seal but he still felt the strain of such a simple spell.

'Hedwig, here girl.' She flew over, narrowly avoiding Osiris and landed on his desk.

After he tied the letter onto her leg she flew out hurriedly, happy to be out of the confines of Osiris' presence. He looked at the small dragon and saw that he was regarding the window with sadness in his eyes. Harry realised that he didn't take good care of his animal up until now but vowing to himself that he would take care of his pets from now on.

'Osiris, come here.' He in turn didn't fly over but jumped of off Hedwig's cage and landed gracefully on the ground and paddled over, nuzzling his face into Harry's ankles like a cat would do. Harry laughed and picked him up by his wings with his wand. Osiris looked at Harry strangely but let out a strange sort of sound, telling Harry that he was enjoying it. Harry suddenly got a mysterious look in his eyes and walked with his small pet dragon by wand out of the door with the intention to have an unforgettable lunch.

Harry approached the table and sat down, Osiris still dangling in mid air next to him. His relatives didn't even spare him a glance as he sat down.

Uncle Vernon turned towards him and yelled like one would do to a deaf person 'Get your food and leave us alone!'

Harry didn't need telling twice. He placed two sandwiches onto his plate and released the spell on Osiris who flew up the table and started to eat away. Harry took his plate and ran for the door looking back once. Uncle Vernon swiped Osiris away like one would do to a fly and took anther sandwich but as soon as it was near his mouth he dropped it as realisation struck. With a mighty screech he jumped up and ran out of the door, out of the house, into his car and around the corner._ I believe my uncle has finally lost it._ Harry had to stifle a laugh but failed miserably when Aunt Petunia and Dudley caught sight of the new visitor.

At first they ran around, then Dudley grabbed a broom and tried, unsuccessfully to hit Osiris with it. Osiris took hold of the broom on the second whack and bit right through it. Aunt petunia yelped when it took flight with a roar and threw Dudley a pan, standing smugly in the corner as if she won the gardeners club trophy. Dudley in turn, tried to hit Osiris with the pan but with a shorter range, Harry's trusty warrior could get a shot off and when finally Dudley got in a whack he jumped in joy only to get his backside singed by another ball of flame.

_Only two more days. _Harry thought by himself. He didn't have one of his best summers ever but in comparison if he looked at it with an optimistic view it wasn't to bad. He wondered idly how it was going with his friends now that Voldemort's bad news is out. He didn't know that much about Luna but he suspected that after the happening last year he would be getting to know her better. He also realised that Luna had a soft spot among her strangeness. After all, she had said some things that helped him to get over Sirius' death at the Leaving Feast last year. And Neville, a trusty friend, brave soul and doing much better than most these days with his Defence against the Dark Arts. But the thing that caught Harry the most was the fact that Neville came with him last year. He didn't even know what he was going for, only that his friend was going and was distressed. That, Harry thought must take courage.

Harry heard a soft tapping noise at the window and turned around to see Hedwig with a small box in her clutches. After he opened the window Osiris flew in and looked quite pleased with himself for his days work. Harry relieved Hedwig of her burden and sat down on his bed ready to open his parcel. He looked over to see Osiris rubbing his head against Hedwig's chest who in turn looked down to the dragon. After a while Hedwig flew over to her perch and drank some water but when she noticed Osiris' head drooping and walking away towards the door, completely lost Hedwig ruffled her wings. Osiris looked up to see Hedwig moving over a bit to make space for her new friend.

That, Harry realised was something he didn't see every day. An Owl taking pity on a dragon. He looked at his box again and noticed Fred and George's handwriting. He opened the box quickly, forgetting their usual pranks on letters but was relieved to find that none such thing happened.

Inside where a small note that read

_Harry mate_

_Here are the first samples of your idea. Sorry it took so long but such a lot of ideas came to mind that we had trouble finding out which to make first. Not to long though, only a week and a half._

_Anyway (_this was George's writing) _here is my magnificent idea. A net ball. Push the button located at the side of the perfect round sphere and throw at a person. Ball releases a net that renders the caught one useless for twenty three minutes and three seconds. Longest we could get. They can't apperate or cut through the superly strong rope that I made._

_Now for my ingenious_ (Fred's writing this time) idea. _A tracker ball, Push button on bottom of perfectly round sphere and place or throw on any non-suspecting victims. It cannot go loose because of my magnificent permanent sticking charm, courtesy of Sirius' old hag that only George or me can remove. And obviously we can track the signal within a radius of bigger than Britain. Where ever we are._

_Hope you enjoy it and we will be sending the funds we make, your share, directly towards your vault without your knowledge of it. Keep well and keep up the good work. We heard your Martial Arts instructor gave old Lucius what he deserved and showed Notty what a true fighter fights like. Send our fullest regards and dodge that damn curse if it come your way again!_

_Your friends in mischief and business partners_

_Fred and George_

_P.S. We have some other things to discuss to, WE HEARD FROM GINNY AND RON THAT YOU GOT THE MARAUDERS MISCHIEF DIARY. WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW OF THIS????????? Tell us what you learn and if you publish it to make your fortune give us a signed copy._

Harry peered at the box and gently picked it up (knowing the twins they probably had something stored inside besides what he asked for.), peeling off the spellotape. He looked inside the box and saw four balls, the size of stress balls with a button on each of them. Two of the balls were marked _Prototype A_ and the other two _Prototypes B_. Harry picked up the first of _Prototype A_ and pressed the button with his thumb and lobbed it towards his Spell Absorber, as he came to call it, and watched it do the work.

Just before it hit the shield, it cracked into two pieces and an acid green net shot out and flew on top of the shield. It anchored itself onto the floor as soon as it came to a halt. Harry pulled out his wand to give it a test, he swished his wand a cast a cutting charm on the net but it had absolutely no effect on it and neither did a Reducto curse. Harry decided to try out one more thing before he stopped and that was to stick his wand through the one of the holes in the criss-cross net and cast a spell, this seemed to work and he was glad because it would be pointless if a Death Eater was captured in it and could Apparate away as soon as the effects of the net wore off. Before he moved onto the next prototype, Harry decided, he would later test the net on himself to see if you could cast out from the inside.

With that thought complete, he picked up one of the _Prototype B_ balls out of the box. Before he threw the ball he noticed a small note at the bottom of the box where the ball had laid. He picked up the note and read through it, glad that he did before he had tested it out. It had given him instructions of how to set a password onto the ball before you threw it at something or else it would never come off. Harry snatched the ball back up, clicked the button and whispered "Osiris" to it before he let it fly towards the shield. Again just before the ball hit the target it changed, this time into a flat disc the almost looked like clay, and hit it's target (Surprisingly with no sound). The disc flickered for a second and then changed into the colour of the surface it had landed on.

If you peered closely you could make the outlines of the disc on the place where it was stuck. Just to make sure that the sticking charm actually worked Harry fire a various number of destructive curses upon it, but to no avail as it stayed exactly where it was unscathed. Harry turned back to the box to see another piece of folded parchment inside which he picked up and scanned over, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Neatly written on the parchment (almost as neat as a Muggle printed piece of paper) was:

Tracker "Osiris" – Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, United-Kingdom… Dursley Household, Harry Potter's Bedroom, Unknown Specie Name.

_Awesome…_ Harry thought to himself _they really outdid themselves on that one_. On the back of the parchment was one of the twins (if not both) handwriting.

We weren't sure how we were going to do the tracking at first but then we got this ingenious idea. We looked it up and it seemed that the spell the Ministry uses to track underage magic could be used in more than one way on a magical signature.

_So we tried to charm the ball, and it actually worked!_

_I think anyone would be proud of us for such ingenious work._

_Anyway I hope you got everything to work, good luck._

Fred and George.

P.S. We saw no reason as to why we should make the removing incantation in Latin (it's getting a bit old) so just use say "Remove 'password' " and it will come off.

When Harry finished reading the letter he removed the Osiris tracker, seeing that it had returned to its original state. He walked over to the ball, picked it up and placed it back inside the box with the others.

Harry searched through his trunk for some books on how to stop common hexes with a single spell. He decided he'll read two books before calling it a day and just relaxing before he went to sleep. After he finished the books it was round about Eight o' clock and decided he would have an early night before he went to Hogwarts the day after next.

Harry was just about to get into bed when he heard a loud Crack outside by the street side. He instinctively went for his wand and moved over to his window to peer outside. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw it was none other than Albus Dumbledore at the front door of his house. Wondering what Dumbledore could possibly want at this late hour, he made his way downstairs to open the front door for him, knowing well how the Dursleys would react if one of his "freakish friends" were to show up at a time like this.

He was greeted by the usual twinkle in eyes when he opened the door for his Headmaster.

'Good evening Harry' Dumbledore greeted.

'Professor Dumbledore?' Harry asked confused

'Sorry to bother you at this time of night but we had some difficulty to find a way for you to go to Kings Cross.' He explained

'Oh.' Was all that Harry had said.

'I arranged with the order to take you with a portkey.' Dumbledore said 'Remus and Alastor will go with you.'

'Do you want to come in?' Harry asked when he realised that it is rude to talk with your headmaster when he was standing outside.

'No thank you.' Dumbledore said amused 'I was popping by and decided to tell you. However, I must be heading on. I'll see you September the first.'

Harry was just about to say his goodbye when Dumbledore disappeared again with a softer pop. He could still not understand his headmaster, eating muggle sweets, popping by at night to tell him something like this and keeping poltergeists at his school. Harry shrugged it away thinking that something as that would happen if you lived for hundred and sixty years.

All of his bags packed, clothes on and calendar on the wall gone Harry waited patiently on September the first for Moony and Moody to take him back to his home, Hogwarts. He headed downstairs and sat down at the kitchen table where Aunt Petunia was finishing a late breakfast.

'I'm going back today.' Harry stated happily

'O, how lovely. Have a wonderful year and hopefully we'll see you soon.' Dudley said sarcastically.

'Why, I will.' Harry shot back 'And the only way I'll see you before the end of this year is, if Mark Evans tells me that you had another go at him.'

'Dudley would never do something like that!' Aunt Petunia said proudly

'I won't!' Dudley screamed out 'How could you say something like that?'

Harry stood there gaping at how good his cousin had gotten in acting.

'Yeah, yeah I hear you.' Harry said 'but you know we have a way of appearing at unexpected places.'

Dudley whimpered but Harry was saved from listening to another reply by two figures coming out of the living room. Harry knew exactly who it was and gave a small smirk in the direction of Dudley but he took no notice because his hands were planted firmly onto his bottom and a look of terror on his face.

'That's right boy.' Moody growled 'CONSTANT VIGALANCE!'

Harry's relatives reacted differently but in the end it came down to them all being terrified.

'Harry, good to see you.' Lupin said 'Let's go to your room. We'll take the portkey from there.'

Harry nodded and led the way up. When they were all in his room Harry took hold of his luggage and placed a hand on the newspaper that moody produced.

'What are you doing?' Moody asked

'Isn't this the portkey?' Harry asked back bewildered.

'No Harry.' Moony laughed 'That is his news paper. The portkey will activate at nine thirty.'

Harry pulled back his hand embarrassed and sat down on his bed

'So, how's it going?' Lupin asked

'I'm good, and yourself?' Harry returned.

'Not bad, just busy with the Order and all.'

Lupin walked over to the window and Moody was half-way sitting down at the chair at his desk when suddenly he pulled his wand and shouted "Stupefy" in Harry's direction.

Harry reacted with the blink of an eye and deflected the spell whilst taking out his wand. He summoned everyone's wands in the same motion with "Accio Wands" and banished Moody's chair, causing him to topple over. Moody's hipflask fell out of his robes in the process but before he could even reach for it, Harry had binded his whole body with ropes.

"Accio flask" Harry summoned next.

'AHA! Polyjuice Potion, I knew it.' Harry sneered.

He flicked open the catch on the flask and poured all the contents out onto the floor, only to turn a bright shade of red when he recognised the Firewisky singe his carpet.

Moody burst out laughing and wriggling around in the bind that Harry had cast on him.

'A bit on the too vigilant side, are we?' Moody growled in his usual tone again. Lupin just stood there with his jaw on the floor, gaping at Harry.

'Err… Sorry Professor?' Harry half asked and half apologised.

'Not to worry.' He reassured Harry 'It was what I had in mind.'

'Uh' Lupin attracted their attention 'The portkey will go in three minutes. By the way, good reaction.'

Harry undid Moody's restrains and held on to the can Lupin held out. They waited for a while and were whisked away towards Kings Cross. They landed in an alley that seemed to be deserted and Harry watched with amusement as Moody pull out his cap and placed it over his magical eye. The walked around the corner and went in the main entrance where Harry found a trolley where he placed his trunk on.

The walked towards the barrier and was lucky to find that no muggles was around. Harry went first followed by the two adults and immediately scanned the crowd for red hair. He saw them near the train and went over happily.

'Hello' he said from right behind them.

'Harry!' everybody screamed at once but Mrs. Weasley beat them all to give him her hug.

After she let go he shared a brief hug with Ginny and Hermione while shaking hands with the men.

'You have to tell us all that happened!' Ron said ecstatically

'Ron!' Mr. Weasley whispered 'Not here, in the train.'

Ron looked a bit down after that but when the whistle blew, signalling for all the students to get on he perked up a bit and grabbed random bags around him while walking towards the train. Harry followed closely with Hermione and Ginny behind him. When they found a compartment they leaned out of the window to greet the rest of the Weasleys.

'Great to be going back.' Harry said

'Yeah, lets go sit and then you can tell us what happened.' Hermione replied.

They sat down while Harry opened the cages of the pets in the compartment. The owls flew up to sit on the luggage rack but Osiris and Crookshanks shared a brief look and bolted from the compartment, underneath the feet of Neville that jumped up to avoid a collision.

'Hello Harry.' Neville said and walked to the empty seat followed by Luna who sat down on the opposite side.

'Good morning Harry.' Luna greeted

'Hello.' Harry greeted back 'glad to see your safe.'

'Yeah, we heard what happened but what happened?' Neville asked

As soon as Harry said the first word of his tale a loud voice cried out 'POTTER!'

Harry recognised that voice immediately and tensed up for what he suspected was going to happen. His felt his hand tingle in anticipation and his mind creating visions of what could possibly happen.

'I'LL KILL YOU!'

The door slammed open to show Draco Malfoy standing with his wand in hand looking furious. Crabbe and Goyle came a second later with beater bats in their hands clearly forgetting that they had wands.

'Listen Malf…' but the words didn't even reach him before Malfoy reacted and flung several curses into the compartment.

Harry's wand was in his hand as soon as one could see the light of the spells from Draco's and Harry erected a shield while aiming his wand at a curse Harry recognise as the bone breaking one the Death Eaters used on him this summer that he knew would break through. Harry twirled his wand in a small circle, creating a small space of red light before the nasty curse. The spell hit Harry's with a crashing sound and all of it exploded into red sparks while Crabbe and Goyle lunged forward towards Harry.

Harry anticipated their moves before they even reacted and cast restraining spells on them while their bats came crashing down.

Harry's friends were still busy pulling out their wands when all of this happened but Harry screamed 'Don't!'

Malfoy released his second volley of hexes and curses while Harry deftly deflected them with counter spells.

'Malfoy listen to me!' Harry yelled 'Do you really want to end up like him?'

'YOU KILLED MY FATHER!' Malfoy screamed again

He started to throw curses at Harry that could easily do permanent damage but still Harry didn't go on the offensive.

'Killing innocent children! Killing people that don't even know why you are after them! Killing muggle born people only because their not like you!' Harry tried again

But still he didn't listen, in fact he seemed to grow angrier by the second. Finally Malfoy lost it and bellowed 'CRUCIO'. The green light raced forth and Harry realised he had to take some action. He stepped aside and the unforgivable curse hit the train wall behind Harry, blowing a whole in it the size of a football ball.

Hermione, always logical decided that this was enough for her but when she tried to stand up Harry stopped her with a desperate spell that knocked her back into her seat.

'MUDBLOOD!!!' Malfoy screamed, his voice growing louder and louder when he saw what happened.

He started to move his wand towards Hermione and Harry knew what was in his mind.

Without wasting another second Harry bellowed with all the force he could muster while pouring every bit of magic he could locate in his body into his spell to save his friend.

'STUPEFY!'

A red light so bright it blinded everybody in the compartment except the two combatants raced from Harry's wand at an incredible speed. The energy around it was enough to incinerate insects that flew nearby. It sent shivers down the spines of his friends to see Harry in a state like this, a look of worry etched into his face, his green eyes alive with energy and his whole body looked like it was glowing from the inside.

The stunning spell hit Malfoy right above the chest and for a second nothing happened but then he glowed red from where the spell made impact. Suddenly he was forced backwards with the some of the red light trailing behind and was knocked off of his feet flying into the other compartment right on the other side of the isle, blowing off the door.

Harry stood there panting for air and only when he saw terrified faces look around the other compartment door did he lower his wand. He felt the energy subside while he looked at his friends. All of them had the same expression, shock, awe and worry plastered onto their faces.

Harry walked over to Crabbe and Goyle and renewed his bounds with a series of ropes and restrains. He walked over to Malfoy and saw his chest falling and rising slowly but he was unconscious as anyone would be after a spell like that. He conjured up chains and bind Malfoy's limp body but still he didn't feel secure so he sunk his body into the floor half way.

Harry walked back to his compartment and sat down, still panting for air when a Scottish voice screeched out 'What in the name of Merlin happened here?'

Harry's head of house came around the corner with her wand in hand, looking furious.

'We'll what happened!' she screeched again.

Harry looked up and made eye contact but didn't reply so he dropped his head back into his hands, letting his adrenaline subside.

His friends however stood up at once and said 'We'll tell you.'

Hermione and Ron, feeling it was their duty as prefects walked out to tell her everything that happened.

The rest of the train ride went by in a blur for Harry and his friends. Malfoy was taken by Professor McGonagall after Ron and Hermione told her what happened while Harry told his friends what happened when he was attacked and what Dumbledore told him about the ways of the old.

'Damn.' Neville said, stating what everyone was thinking.

Harry hasn't told Neville or Luna about the prophecy yet mainly because he didn't think a train was a suitable place for them to find out. When it finally became dark Osiris and Crookshanks came back for the first time since Malfoy assaulted Harry, looking incredibly proud of themselves.

When the train started to slow down Harry stood up and gathered all of his belongings, including his pets and went to stand in the isle with the rest of the students. The train pulled into Hogsmeade station and Harry and his friends pushed through the crowd to get a carriage. For once it wasn't raining and for that Harry was pleased but then he saw the Thestrals, they looked as usual, sinister but the thing that sent shivers down Harry's spine was the way they looked at the six friends. Their eyes tracked them through the crowd and when Harry and his friends moved passed one of them they would close their eyes and nod as if to greet.

'Don't tell me that we went to the department of mysteries on those things.' Ron whispered to Harry shakily.

'That's them but they don't usually greet.' Harry replied

'It is strange.' Luna said startling Harry 'Rather sinister if you ask me.'

Harry only nodded, not knowing what else to say. He didn't even know that Luna could get scared of animals because of the tales she told them about her and her father. They found a carriage and when they arrived at Hogwarts Harry breathed in the scent of his favourite place. They walked through the doors of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry proud to be part of such an honour.

When they were finally seated at their house tables Harry looked over towards the staff table and inspected all of them. Professor Dumbledore was gone and so was Snape but Harry presumed it had something to do with Malfoy. Harry looked over to the other empty seats. One belonged to Hagrid, the other to professor McGonagall which left one person missing, the defence against the dark arts teacher.

'Where are they?' Ron whined 'I'm hungry.'

As soon as the words left his mouth professor Dumbledore along with Hagrid and Snape strolled in from the door at the back of the staff table while the first years came in from their usual place.

The sorting, like always became boring within the first few minutes and Harry clapped when he heard the rest of his house doing it. One of the first years tripped, sending the stool and hat flying but he didn't seem to care. He looked over to the small mess he made and smiled broadly; clearly not as scared as Harry was the first time. Definitely a Gryffindor Harry thought but when the hat called out Hufflepuff Harry turned to Ron who had the same shocked expression on his face.

When the sorting was finally done Dumbledore stood up and said 'I will leave the rest of my speech for after the food.'

He clapped his hands and the plates filed up with food of all sorts. Ron immediately grabbed numerous portions off everything, piling up his plate while the rest helped themselves to more civil amounts.

'Same warning as last year.' Remarked Hermione thoughtfully

'Do you actually listen to that old hat?' Ron asked when he finally managed to swallow his food.

'Yes Ron!' Hermione exclaimed 'And you should too.'

Ron chose to ignore Hermione and went back to eat. Harry, simply enjoying it to be back at Hogwarts sat in silence most of the time, listening to his friends or sharing some minor small talk with them. Only after the last spoon was put down by the small Hufflepuff boy did Dumbledore stand again with his twinkle in full force.

'Welcome back everybody!' He said 'There will be a few new rules and there will be a few old rules revoked. The good news is that every single educational decree brought in by Dolores Umbridge will have no effect anymore. That means that every person who had lasting damage from her "Decrees" will be able to do what they were doing before she came to Hogwarts.

Further more, all Hogsmeade weekends as you know it will be stopped.' He waited there for the crowd to subside after all the exclamations and yells of protests. When it finally died down he continued

'Third and fourth years, fifth and six years and finally seventh years will go separately. That is simply for security reasons because of our current situation but if you have a friend of a year that isn't going with you, speak to your head of houses and it will be sorted out.

Mr Filch asked me to tell you "every single Weasley firework I find in their possession will be strapped onto their backs and ignited. Then let's see them enjoy the show!" however seeing as that will never happen, I ask you not to use them inside the castle.

Our new Defence against the dark arts teacher will be coming tomorrow and is eager to get you all up to standard.

On a more sombre note it is my unfortunate duty to tell you all that we are at war. Voldemort' he didn't even stop for the terrified squeals 'will not hesitate to strike as he has last year and will not show mercy. That is why we will expel anybody immediately if we realise that dark magic is performed inside this castle with the intention to do harm. Draco Malfoy will be escorted from here tomorrow because he did a terrible deed. Even if emotions are running high one must learn to control it and not fall inside the black pit of dark magic. I advise you all to learn to protect yourselves against his evil forces.

That is all for tonight, enjoy your first term back.'

He sat down while looking Harry straight in the eye. Harry hadn't told anybody what happened between him and Bellatrix in the Ministry of Magic and he had no intention to tell anyone, ever. It was the kind of thing he forced to the back of his mind, to ashamed to admit it, to scared to think about what could have happened and how close he was to becoming dark.

Mr. Weasley told them once that dark magic was addictive, that once you did it it's too late to take back and it has a way to change even the most pure hearted person to do evil again. Harry shuddered slightly and stood up when he saw Dumbledore nod slightly to him, as if he saw the internal struggle Harry went through at that moment. Harry, Ginny and Neville walked to the Gryffindor common room in silence, each deep in thought about what Dumbledore told them.

'He deserved what he got.' Neville said savagely, startling them out of their reveries.

'Yeah he did.' Ginny stated a bit more softly 'and his father.'

Once they were seated at their usual seats Harry pulled out his wand and casted a privacy charm around them.

'What's that for?' Neville asked for both himself and Ginny.

'I'm going to tell you something important.' Harry replied pointing at Neville.

At that moment Hermione and Ron came back from their duties and looked curiously at Harry, not hearing anything that came from the dome that looked like a bubble. Harry waived his wand at them and something resembling a door came into existence. They walked inside, sensing Harry's sombre mood sat down silently. Harry waived his wand again and the bubble sealed itself again.

'Neville.' Harry began 'I have to kill Voldemort. The prophecy said that, the one that broke.'

Neville sat in silence for a long time after Harry spoke, then he looked up as if he reached a silent conclusion with a look of fierce determination etched onto his face.

'That means we have to learn to fight.' He said simply

'I've been doing some thinking Harry.' Ron said 'If what you say is true then, then. Arg, what I'm trying to say is that we wouldn't be sitting this one out on the sidelines.'

'That, my friend, I have realised this summer.' Harry told him.

'Let me finish.' He told Harry 'I already made my decision. What I haven't done is try to do something about it.'

Harry sat there and pondered Ron's words. He was right. Harry thought they haven't done anything about it.

'Let's enjoy our first week back.' Harry told them 'I'll talk to professor Dumbledore tomorrow.'

Harry pulled out his wand and waived it in a fluent motion, letting the bubble disappear. He walked out of it with a stiff 'Goodnight', which his friends replied to with their own. After he was in his room he pulled on his sleeping clothes and climbed into his bed. Osiris flew down, landed at his feet and walked two circles, looking like he was trying to find a suitable place to sleep. In the end he curled up in the same position he was when he landed and gave a huge sigh that sent two small rings of smoke out of his nostrils.

Harry knew that he was in for a trying time and decided that he wouldn't go on like he did last year. If he had to defeat the strongest wizard of all time then he had to be ready. "What comes will come and we'll just have to face it when it comes." Hagrid's words of nearly two years ago echoed in his mind. Strange that it stayed in his head all of this time but he knew that he would have to pull everybody together. Dumbledore told him how hard it is, and he knew to an extent but things can't carry on like it is going on right now. People can't go about with fear in their hearts, nobody can perform well if they are scared.

Harry woke up the next morning, with a good night's sleep, and went to the showers. When he finally emerged with steam coming out of his cubicle Ron and Neville walked in looking like they could do with some more rest.

'Hello.' Harry replied cheerfully 'Had a good rest.'

'Yeah, great.' They mumbled in unison.

They never were morning people. He thought and trudged back to his dormitory to get dressed. After he was done he went down to the great hall because none of his friends were in the common room. Half way there he spotted Luna strolling around looking completely lost.

'Luna!' Harry yelled out 'Were are you going?'

'O, hello Harry.' She said 'I'm going down to get breakfast. Then I need to talk to

Professor Flitwick, then I'm going to go to classes…'

'No, no, I only mean now.' Harry told her.

'I knew, but I'm only going to grab food, speak to professor Flitwick and go to a special class my father organised for me.'

'O, what class?' Harry asked realising that Luna made it sound normal.

'I don't know really.' She replied 'He said it was something my mother used to do when she was at school.'

'Hope it goes well.' Harry said 'listen Luna. There's something I need to tell you…'

'Is it something to do that you have to kill Voldemort and we can't sit in the sidelines anymore?' she asked airily

'Uh, yeah.' Harry said stomped 'How did you find out?'

'Neville confirmed my suspicion yesterday night.' She told him. 'people really underestimate the power of imagination.'

Harry didn't know what to say to her but he figured it had something to do with her nature. They walked in silence to the great hall where Harry found Ginny sitting alone.

'Hello Ginny.' Harry said 'I didn't know you were up yet.'

'Mmmm.' She replied 'I couldn't sleep anymore. Seven hours is enough for me thank you.'

Harry started to eat some eggs and bacon when Professor McGonagall appeared right behind him.

'Mr. Potter.' She said in way of greeting 'Can you see me after breakfast?'

'Yes sure.' He replied

Slowly but surely the great hall filled with students coming for breakfast. Ron, Hermione and Neville came by some time earlier and started to eat away. When Harry was done he excused himself and went to professor McGonagall's office by means of a shortcut hidden behind a painting of some strange creature. When he finally reached her office he knocked once and waited but the door opened of its own account. Inside professor McGonagall sat in her chair but who Harry didn't expect to see was professor Dumbledore with a cup of tee in his hands.

'Good morning Harry.' Dumbledore greeted

'Hello Professor.' Harry greeted kindly, happy to see Hogwarts return to normal with Dumbledore back.

'The main reason why I called you here was to discuss your schedule of this year.' He said cryptically

'um, what about it.' He asked.

Professor McGonagall intervened here and said 'we never received a letter back from you to tell us which classes you would like to take this year.'

Harry stared dumbly at her for a few moments but then he realised that he should have thought of that when he got his O.W.L. results.

'Sorry.' He stammered

'It's quite all right' She reassured him 'Can you tell us which ones you would like to take?'

'DADA, I guess, then transfiguration, charms and…' he stopped here not knowing if professor McGonagall knew of his training with the Cordeurs.

'And Martial arts I presume.' Dumbledore said 'There are very few things that I don't tell Minerva.'

'That brings us to a total of four classes Mr Potter.' She said

'Well I can't take potions.' He said while thinking it over. 'I can't think of anything else that will help me through the rest of my struggle.'

'That wouldn't be a problem. How ever, I must state clearly that if we allow you to take only four classes that you will use the free time wisely.'

'I thought about doing some study on my own.' He said and added 'I'm almost finished with the books you gave me professor.'

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up to his hairline but he still remained placid

'Harry, don't tell me that you read all of the books already.' He said

'Not all of them, but most.' Harry said

'That Harry is impossible.' Dumbledore said 'Please don't tell me you found a time stopper.'

'What's that?' Harry asked bewildered.

'It makes time slow down if you placed the receptors on you temples. The brain is unaffected by time so you can learn much faster. There is a negative side however. it leaches itself to your brain and eventually you become trapped in time.'

'No!' Harry exclaimed 'Nothing like that, I wouldn't do that.'

'Then how were you able to read those books?' Dumbledore said clearly getting frustrated 'I, like you don't like to be held in the dark.'

'I will tell you that even you didn't know about this.' Harry replied cryptically 'I found it in a book you gave me.'

Again Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up but he waited for Harry to continue

'I'm not going to tell you everything but I'll do it to you.' Harry said again

'Mr. Potter.' Professor McGonagall exclaimed 'Need I remind you that it is forbidden at this school to use any means to help you study.'

'I didn't use it here and it is too late. I already memorised the sixth year's books.' Harry said 'The only reason I'm here is to learn personal experience. No book can learn me that.'

'Do the spell on me Harry.' Dumbledore said 'But only brief.'

Harry placed a book about transfiguration onto Dumbledore's lap and pulled out his wand. He did the spell without a sound as to not give away his secret. After the book was finished five minutes later professor Dumbledore looked at Harry.

'There is no traces of dark magic and no negative affects.' He whispered

'It makes you damn tired after an hour.' Harry replied

Dumbledore, however perked up and said 'Harry, you found the spell they mention in the diary of the four friends. That proves it.'

'Proves what?' Harry asked, his curiosity at a peak.

'Only when the Ways of the Old is in use again can the leader of the right side use this spell.' He said 'I give you my apologies but understand that something as this doesn't come by everyday.'

'I guess so.' Harry said

'There is no way to force learning in any way.' He said 'Except this one. It will hide itself however after the ways of the old is gone again.'

'That doesn't matter.' Harry said 'As long as I can destroy Voldemort I'm happy.'

'That is the other reason I called you here again.' Dumbledore said with something as sadness in his tone 'Voldemort struck last night.'

All the air started to leave Harry as he remembered his vision of Voldemort.

'Who?' Harry asked without a hint of emotion

'The parents of a boy in Hufflepuff, first year.' He said with a shakily voice 'The one that knocked over the chair. He had a sister of eight but she got away. He parents made a portkey for her right before Voldemort himself struck them. She appeared in my office late yesterday night, crying her eyes out. I don't know how they made one without me to come to my office but I'm glad they were able to.'

Harry didn't say anything. He couldn't. The only thought that raced through his mind were If I had worked harder I could have stopped him already but reason kicked in, telling him that he did almost everything he could to prepare.

'We knew this would happen Harry.' Professor McGonagall said in a soft voice.

'I know.' Harry said, again without emotion 'Does he know?'

'Yes, I took him to her this morning. He seemed to take it alright.' Dumbledore said defeated 'He said to me "With Voldemort here it couldn't be stopped. Don't worry, we'll see them again" That, Harry is something I didn't expect to hear from a first year.'

There were a long silence and eventually they could hear the students coming into the classroom next door but they didn't seem to care.

'My friends said they need to learn.' Harry said breaking the silence 'The said they already made a decision but didn't do anything about it.'

'I'll speak to them personally tonight.' Dumbledore said 'I must be leaving.'

After he was out of the door Professor McGonagall stood up and said 'I'll give you your schedule at lunch. As far as I followed your conversation it seems to me that you have to defeat Voldemort.'

Harry didn't look up but nodded slightly

'I'll help you in anyway I can.' She said 'Come by tonight, then we can see if you can become an animagus.'

'What's that going to help me?' Harry asked 'No, don't bother.'

'If you say so but come by anyway.' She said again 'Transfiguration can be useful in battle.'

Harry nodded and walked out of the door heading towards the hospital wing. As he entered he heard small sobs and a small voice of a boy saying 'Don't worry sis. Don't worry, we are here for a reason and then we'll see them again.'

'But I want to see them now.' A tear strained voice said

'Their not gone, remember what they told us. "We won't leave you ever, not even when were dead"' he told her soothingly

Harry chose to intervene at that moment by saying, hidden from their view 'I can feel my parents in time of need.'

He stepped out of the cover of the screen to see the same sandy haired boy looking at him and a small girl lying on the bed with brilliant blonde hair that was currently tangled and dirty.

'Harry Potter.' The girl said 'Tell me they will come back.'

'They never were gone.' He said 'They will protect you as my mother has done this summer.'

'How did she protect you?' she asked sadly

'She forced nine death eater away with magic after they attacked me.' He said 'There is nothing I can do to make it easier. I lost my godfather last June, I loved him, but there is someone that protects us from danger even when we feel alone.'

'Who?' she asked

'Can't you feel Him?' Harry asked 'Feel Him trying to sooth you? It will be better I promise. Someone told me that nothing will be placed onto us if we can't handle it.'

She looked at Harry once again and nodded. Harry stayed there a while and then made his way to Gryffindor tower. He spent the rest of the morning clearing his head and thinking everything through. At lunchtime Harry's friends returned.

'Where were you Harry? What happened?'

Harry told them what he heard from Dumbledore and how he forgot to tell them which classes he wanted to take. He told them about the Hufflepuff boy and his sister. When they finally reached the great hall a tense silence met them. Dumbledore sat down and nodded to Harry who returned the gesture.

They found places to sit and news soon reached them that Dumbledore told the school of the boy's parents.

After lunch Harry went to Professor McGonagall who gave him his schedule. He went back to his dormitory and got his books he needed for the rest of the day. He walked to the DADA classroom in a daze and snapped out of it when he came to the door with students standing around talking.

He found Ron, Hermione and Neville standing at the back of the students, waiting for the Professor to come. Ten minutes later they heard footsteps and turned to see if it was their Professor.

He was a tall man that demanded your attention but he had a gruff face and he looked to be around fifty years old.

'Well, go in' he said as he approached.

The class went in and found seats. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville sat near the front waiting for their Professor to start. He went to his table and laid his briefcase onto the table. He turned around to face the class and pulled out his wand that was longer than usual.

'Why are you here?' he asked. When nobody answered him he continued 'To learn to defend yourself. That's what you're doing here.'

He pointed his wand in Harry's direction and said 'Can you defend yourself?'

'As good as to be expected.' Harry replied

'Lets see then.' He pointed his wand in Harry's direction and started the incantation but at the last second he pointed his wand in Hermione's direction. The red light shot out of his wand and raced forth. She surprised them all by reacting and putting up a shield charm, still in her sitting position. The spell rebounded of off it in Harry's direction who used a more advanced form of protection. The spell hit Harry's shimmering blue light and disintegrated as it made impact.

'Great!' he exclaimed 'That's great. Take ten points to Gryffindor for that.'

He replaced his wand in his robes and said 'I'm Professor Julian Mungus. I'll try my best to get you up to date with this subject while preparing you for what is to come.'

He went on with the lesson about shield charms, occasionally surprising them all with a stunner in a random direction. Most students didn't expect it and fell, losing one point for their house every time but gaining two if they successfully block or dodge it. After the lesson they bade each other goodbye and went their separate directions. Harry back to Gryffindor tower and his friends off to magical creatures.

That night Harry went to Professor McGonagall's office to find her sitting on the table with her wand in hand. As soon as Harry entered she transfigured four quills into garden gnomes that raced towards Harry. He transfigured them back after a while and looked at his professor.

'I could have made that something more vicious.' She said 'Transfiguration in battle can be useful, something to give you the upper edge.'

Harry listened to her stories of when she used it in battle and helped Harry out a bit on some things he couldn't get right. He knew that this could be useful but he somehow didn't think it was right for him. He could already do things like that, making things animals, animating things and so forth.

When Harry was finally in the common room it was well past ten but none of his friends have returned from their meeting with Professor Dumbledore so he waited. When he finally heard them come back he turned around to listen what Dumbledore told them.

'Harry, guess what.' Ron said happily

'What?' Harry asked back

'Professor Mungus agreed to teach us how to fight, professor Flitwick also agreed.' Ginny said with delight.

'That's not all.' Neville piped up 'Professor Dumbledore told us he will be assessing us to see what we do best!'

'That's great!' Harry said happy for his friends.

'Yeah, and we have what looks to be a good DADA teacher.' Hermione said in the same mood as the rest.

They played some exploding snap and talked to the rest of their dorm mates because they didn't have any homework yet. Harry was just deciding to call it a night when a constant tapping noise came from the window. He stood and opened the window but wasn't expecting it to drop the letter in his hands. As the owl flew out of the window again he sat down and looked at the ministry seal on it but decided to get it over with

Mr. Potter

Let us get one thing straight. I am the minister of magic and nobody tells me what to do or how to do it. I will not be shunted around by a mere kid like you. This will not help you in your case against the ministry and will count against you in all possible ways. The press shall hear about this.

Now that that is done we can continue. If you loose this case, which you will, I shall break your wand personally. Secondly, the only reason that I agree with your date is because it is the only one that fit me as well, a man such as me has lots of things on his agenda.

Your hearing will commence in courtroom ten at nine thirty in the morning of September the twenty second. I expect you to be on time and to be prepared.

Minister Cornelius Fudge

P.S. consider yourself lucky that I don't intend to break your wand now.

After Harry read the note he threw it into the fire and looked as it burn to ashes.

'Who was that?' Ginny asked as she was the only one close by

'A letter from Fudge.' Harry said uninterested 'He told me when my hearing will be.'

'You have a hearing!' she exclaimed rather too loud for Harry's liking

'Yes, from the whole ancient magic fiasco.' Harry said

'That's not very nice if you ask me.' She said 'You had a near death experience and he wants to break your wand.'

'It doesn't matter.' Harry said as he stood up 'I won't loose, don't worry.'

'I'm not supposed to be worried, you are.' She said

'I'm not. Nothing he can do will change the influence of the Wizangamot.' He said 'Goodnight Ginny.'

'Night Harry.'

And with that Harry went to his bed, preparing for another day in Hogwarts. The last thought that ran through his head before he drifted of, was I have a lesson with Xilion tomorrow.

When Harry finally woke up that morning his dorm was completely deserted. He dressed quickly and rushed down to the common room to find it empty except for two third year boys. He hurried down to the great hall and went inside but once he was there he wished that he weren't. The hall fell into complete silence once he set foot inside with hundred pairs of eyes locked onto him.

He sat down next to Ginny and looked at her curiously. She replied by motioning to a Daily Prophet newspaper that lay next to her, opened up with the heading "HARRY POTTER VS MINISTER OF MAGIC". At first, he stared at it with huge eyes, and then he peered at it as if someone jinxed it, finally he grabbed it with a glance over his shoulder that made all the eyes dart back to their plates while Harry read his morning news paper over breakfast.

**Arrogant and delusional… or maybe defiant.**

Mia Golding

Harry Potter has caused troubles beyond recognition in the wizarding world of Britain. He doesn't feel the need to keep by school or ministry rules for that matter. He set free the monster of the chamber of secrets in his second year, helped Sirius Black escape from ministry custody in his third year, killed Cedric Diggory but claimed it to be the Dark Lord and broke into the Department of Mysteries in his fifth year but what does that mean?

Recently he kicked up a major uproar by enabling the ancient magic that surrounds his house we all knew about, that rendered the minister of magic unable to come close to the boy who lived.

If you add it all up like that Harry Potter looks like one of the darkest wizards of all time. Who is to say that he will stop, why don't we imprison him now before he could corrupt our ministry?

Because we didn't look at his perspective.

What if someone else opened the chamber of secrets and unleashed the monster within. What if Mr. Potter, the obvious choice because he was a parseltongue, only used his abilities to slay the monster? What if Sirius Black was innocent of the crimes he was committed for and Peter Pettigrew alive and blood thirsty as before? What if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was indeed resurrected by Peter and Harry Potter duelled for his life to return to Hogwarts and tell the community he has come back? What if he was attacked this summer that automatically forced the Ancient Magic to do its job?

The minister of magic pushed the press for a year to say that Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore were delusional. He tried to get Harry Potter expelled when he was simply helping fellow students with DADA. He again tried to break Harry's wand this summer when the Ancient Magic came to life but was unable to come close.

Harry Potter must be tired of Minister Fudge.

He wrote a letter himself to Minister Fudge, telling him when he was available for a hearing when he could have left it unsolved for years to come. The letter itself was to the point and stern, tired of beating around the bush, which Fudge took offence to. Again Fudge forced us to bad mouth Potter through the press but he didn't say we couldn't praise Potter.

Harry Potter has shown us all that no matter how dark the outcome, expulsion in his case, we mustn't back down and let people walk over us only because they can.

We, the Daily Prophet, hope that Harry Potter will win his case against the minister of magic and continue to get his much needed education at Hogwarts.

When Harry was finished he couldn't believe what his eyes saw. What he expected to be one hell of a criticising article turned out to be something he wouldn't have believed if someone simply told him. Harry looked at his friends to see them all smiling back in his direction. He turned and looked at Dumbledore to see the twinkle in the old man's eyes bright enough to light the Great Hall.

Finally, when the truth sank in, he felt a grin forming on his lips. The hall was once again chatting merrily, clearly abandoned their stares from Harry's back.

'That, Harry, is what I call good news.' Ron told him, breaking the ice.

'You're telling me.' Harry laughed back.

He hasn't felt this good after reading the prophet in, well, forever. After the initial shock was over Harry simply enjoyed the feeling of happiness. This was going to be a good day, Harry realised. He had Martial Arts training with the Cordeurs, double DADA and a few off periods with absolutely no homework to worry about.

Not even the fact that Xilion warned him about training becoming gruelling from now on could break through the blissful state that Harry was in at that moment.

Harry walked in silence to the point where the Cordeurs will land with their portkey. He arrived there at eight to wait for them but after a while he got bored to stare at a seemingly empty space so he wandered a bit further down, towards Hogsmeade.

After ten minutes he returned to wait for them, who seemed to be quite late. Finally after another twenty minutes they came to life right in front of him, shaking their heads and nursing minute cuts on their hands.

'Really funny, Harry' Xilion said in way of greeting

Harry, who realised the reason for their lateness, burst out laughing.

'Do you have any idea how hard it is to answer a riddle when some thing constantly distracts your attention?' Tasha said

'Did you like him?' Harry asked innocently

'Yeah he was great, thanks for the entertainment.' Xilion said again

'Well, don't you want to see Hogwarts?' Harry asked eagerly

They seemed to perk up at that and followed Harry up the hill without further question. When Hogwarts finally came into view Harry stopped and motioned with his hands to the proud castle.

'Don't tell me that's your school.' Tasha said 'It, um, looks deserted.'

'No, no that's the anti muggle wards.' Harry laughed, remembering Hermione's words that Hogwarts look like runes to muggles.

'How do we get past them?' Tasha asked cautiously.

'Follow me.' Harry said while trudging up further.

When he reached the gate he told them to walk forward, for them seemingly into a closed gate. They did so after Harry disappeared through the barrier. When Harry was through he turned around and looked with amusement their reactions while they walk towards him.

'Damn.' Was all they said with open mouths.

'Come on, I'll give you a short tour.' Harry said and walked them towards the lake.

After that he showed them Hagrid's hut, the quidditch pitch, the forbidden forest, the whomping willow and the front doors of Hogwarts when Xilion interrupted his tour with reason by saying that they should get down to business.

They arrived at the spot Dumbledore told him about, right behind the quidditch stadium where the forest started about thirty meters behind it.

'Great place.' Tasha remarked 'We thought you'd like to start weapons training today.'

'Yeah, there's no reason to improve your strength,' Xilion said 'For obvious reasons.'

Harry wanted to do this part of martial arts since he decided phone them and could hardly wait for it to begin.

'The Rod, Harry, can be very useful in battle.' Xilion started of 'Because of its long range and non lethal but effective blows it is one of the mostly used riot control weapons in china.'

The lesson went on for twenty or so minutes where they explained to him the proper handling of the rod, the spots were it is most effective on a human and some of the moves to parry blows.

They ended the lesson with a short demonstration for Harry and to say it was spectacular would be grossly under stated. The rods went at speeds Harry had trouble following with his quidditch trained eye, smashing into the ground, hitting one another with the blunt ends of it on their feet that left the opponent crying out in pain. They jumped to and fro, all the time spinning their rods, blocking blows and using it as sort of pole vaults to get more lift when they jump. Not one of them, backed down and clutched their sides when one was hit so, naturally Harry thought that it couldn't hurt that much.

So when they were finished Harry brought his thoughts forth and was answered by a swift knock on the hip that shut him up completely. It didn't look sore, but it was. Harry was sure there would be a lump after lunch but didn't mention it to them. After they left Harry trudged back to the castle with a skip in his step, glad that today, in fact proved to be great.

He met up with Ginny halfway towards Gryffindor tower and told her all the things they did with rods. Ginny, however, couldn't grasp the concept of normal sticks doing suitable damage in battle.

'Ginny, you have no idea how hard it can hit.' Harry explained

'My father told me about wizards fighting with staffs but that had magic in them, like a wand.' she told Harry 'Why don't you rather get one of those?'

'Look here.' Harry said when they finally entered the common room. 'This was a soft blow.'

He lifted up his shirt, showing the blue and purple bruise that already showed clearly.

'No way.' Ginny said with shock.

She reached out her hand and lightly touched his skin right above the mark, trailing it down, over sore. The feeling her hands caused on his bruise was somewhat unexpected but not unwelcome. In fact it felt better with her hand on top of it that of off it. Finally with excruciatingly slowness Ginny extracted her hand while Harry missed the feeling of her hand on his bruise immediately. After a while Harry broke the silence.

'I'm going to shower.' Harry said 'Forgot to do it this morning.'

She nodded and said softly 'See you at lunch.' while she walked towards the staircase the led to the girls dormitories. Harry showered and dressed, deciding to leave the bruise for now because it didn't throb with every heartbeat anymore.

Ginny didn't show up in the great hall at first and when Harry started to worry she came in looking somewhat sleepy.

'Where were you?' Harry asked calmly. Ron and Hermione had left early, saying that they had work to do for transfiguration and Neville was nowhere to be found.

'I fell asleep.' She yawned.

Harry simply laughed silently and gave her the plate of mashed potato with bacon pieces inside that she always ate. She looked at him strangely but didn't say anything and scooped some onto her plate. They shared some casual conversation that eventually turned serious.

'Can you believe that Professor Dumbledore actually said Professor McGonagall will teach us to be animagi?' she said, more than asked Harry.

'Yeah, she asked me to.' Harry said with a sigh

'So, when do you start?' Ginny asked eagerly

'I told her there's no use.' At his last statement Ginny simply gawked at him, like he declined a once in a lifetime opportunity, that strangely enough, he did.

'But… Harry, what.' She stammered

'Ginny, how will changing into some animal help me against Voldemort?' Harry said

'I don't know. It's bound to be useful.' She persisted

'How? If it's for concealment I've got an invisibility cloak.' Harry said 'For size, how much damage can an animal do to Voldemort?'

'I don't know.' She said defeated 'I thought that you would want to do this.'

'Ginny, I do want to be an animagus.' Harry told her truthfully

'Then why don't you?' she asked but to Harry it sounded more like a plea

'I will.' Harry said firmly 'After I killed Voldemort I'll become one. I want to play with my strengths for now. I have to stop him as soon as possible'

At Harry's words, Ginny flinched and for the first time she realised how much of a burden this prophecy must be on Harry. Every death caused by Voldemort, every person he was bound to torture without sympathy must be weighing down on Harry. He was the only one that can kill Voldemort. He probably thought that every person Voldemort kills is his fault because he's not strong enough yet to defeat the monster. And she realised sadly the rest of the victims will probably feel the same if they knew.

Ginny didn't know what prompted her to hug Harry like she did but it didn't matter to her, if only she could help him with his troubles, only slightly then she was happy.

Harry looked at Ginny after she broke the embrace; she looked sympathetic, almost sad. He realised that he told her how he felt, not necessarily directly but he told her none the less. He didn't know why he told her that, it was usually the thing he kept for himself, something nobody can extract from his mind, or mood for that matter, without him giving him or her permission. Yet he found that he wasn't sorry that he did, Ginny helped him, again, through his troubled mind. He looked at her with a silent plea in his eyes.

'Ginny' Harry whispered 'don't tell anyone. Please.'

'Don't worry Harry.' She said softly 'I won't.'

(A/N: Hello everyone, I finally found myself two new Beta Readers, so after November the chapters should start rolling in because it's our Holiday here in South Africa during december. We actually forgot to give an author's note for the previous chapter so sorry about that. I(Nexorsist) just want to comment and say that I think the Anon. guy that came a left a review under the name of "A guy who read your story" is really pathetic. You yourself can't even form a coherent sentence or capatilise your sentences and you come and review and say WE right like 5 year olds? Get a life. I don't mind critisism really but thats just pushing it. I'll be replying to review on our group, , When I made the group I kind of accidently put it in the adult section and I'm working hard to get it out of there so the younger readers can also join the group.

We hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the previous one. Just one thing, the new Crucio curse had another name but we renamed it last minute for a reason, it doesn't really matter, it's the effect that matters.

Cheers   
Nex and Nifty)


	8. Initiative

**Chapter 8 – Initiative**

Transfiguration and charms went by fast and before Harry knew he was already in his bed, sleeping soundly.

When the Cordeurs came again it was three o'clock and Harry couldn't wait to get started on the staff form training they promised him. It was difficult at first but Harry soon got the hang of it and by the end of their two hours Tasha told him that he was a fast learner.

'No Tasha, he's not a fast learner.' Xilion told her with some amazement 'nobody, nobody has ever done it that fast. We took three months to get to his stage.'

'It seems almost as if it's natural on him.' Tasha said 'Really Harry, haven't you done this before?'

'No, I told you.' Harry insisted.

'But it's impossible.' Xilion said again.

They walked to their departure point still discussing how impossible it was to grasp it so quickly but they soon vanished in mid conversation with one another, not even noticing that Harry walked with them.

Harry was baffled to say the least. It felt like it was something he had known for a long time, something he could do well. It was like riding a bike. He was shaky at first but it all fell into place, like he just needed a bit of practice again.

He was still pondering his thoughts when he entered the through the main doors only to be stopped by Dumbledore's grave look.

Dumbledore motioned for Harry to follow him and soon they were inside professor McGonagall's office again.

'Harry,' Dumbledore sighed 'Voldemort struck again.'

Harry didn't say anything, he simply sat there like a zombie.

'Same spells, same method, completely random.' He told Harry 'We have no idea where he will be striking next. The people he killed had two children in Hogwarts, normal jobs and normal lives. We don't know why he went for them.'

'He's trying to grow supporters for him.' Harry told Dumbledore 'The dream I had the summer. He's scaring the kids so that when they grow up they'll flock to him to save their own families.'

'If you look at it like that' Professor McGonagall said 'It does make sense.'

'Harry, don't break yourself down over this, please.' Dumbledore said calmly 'I'll talk to the children.'

Harry nodded to each in turn and walked slowly in the direction of the Gryffindor tower. This day in fact proved to be not as good as he thought. Harry realised that he couldn't keep to his own words, to enjoy the first week back at Hogwarts. He didn't even know how he got inside the tower, he didn't really care, all that went through his mind was to learn to fight.

If this prophecy, the fate of the world, was dumped onto his shoulders then he could handle it. The words Tasha told him rang through his mind like a beautiful song, a motivating tune "Nothing will be placed onto us if we can't handle it." He, Harry Potter, will prove that statement correct no matter what.

'Harry!' he heard Ron shout into his ear.

Harry jumped a little, hearing Ron's voice reverberate through his ears and turned towards him.

'Glad I could catch your attention.' He told Harry sarcastically.

'Sorry, didn't hear you.' Harry said sheepishly

'Come here, sit down.' Ron said 'What happened?'

Harry informed his friends what Dumbledore told him and went up to his room, to find a place to learn the new book he found in Dumbledore's trunk named Three hundred and twenty four light side fighting spells by Albus Dumbledore. He was eager to learn the things Dumbledore wrote down but he couldn't find a place to do the spell. Harry grabbed the book and went out of the common room without anyone noticing him and strolled around the huge castle at night, trying to find a suitable place.

After thirty minutes of walking he came to a stop at a door, right next to the stairs that led to the astronomy tower. He opened it cautiously and peered around the door, to see a small balcony that looked deserted enough. He walked outside and went to the hand railing, looking out to the lake and forest. The whole place was covered in dust and spider cobwebs, there was a stone bench in the middle of the four meter radius platform and a small table right next to it.

He sat down, after he cleaned the dust and opened the book to start.

When he was finally done he closed the book and pulled out his wand to start the spell that he learnt only to realise he couldn't practice into the night air with no target. He improvised however by trying out the spell professor Mungus taught them in DADA. He traced the circle, plunged his wand into the middle and waited. At first there was a tingling sensation in his hands, then his arm and then his whole body. It wasn't like Professor Mungus told them, it didn't hurt and Harry didn't feel the need to let go. When he finally decided that it was enough he let go. It shot forth, sharp as a needle point, at incredible speeds towards the lake, where it darted into the ground.

Later that night Harry's eyes were starting to fall shut and he decided to call it a night.

When Friday finally rolled by Harry decided to get his prize for slaying the basilisk. Martial arts were the same as everyday since. Xilion and Tasha taught Harry the finer arts of staff form, where Harry grasped the concept quickly. Transfiguration, charms and DADA blended together seamlessly in a blur. Hermione noticed his absent look during class and decided to confront him during lunch.

'Harry, really you can't expect to get through this year if you don't concentrate in class.' She scolded

'Leave him Hermione.' Ron told her.

Ginny, who was sitting next to Harry looked at the pair on the other side of the table with amusement but turned her attention to Harry.

'What's wrong?' she asked

'Nothing' Harry replied curtly

Ginny seeing that she wouldn't get anything out of him said 'What are you going to do the rest of the day.'

'I have something I need to do.' He replied cryptically

'Can I come?' she asked

'No.' Harry said and stood up while placing his cutlery onto his plate.

He walked out of the great hall and headed towards his dormitory to get some his broom. After he got it he walked at a fast pace towards the second floor girls lavatory where moaning Myrtle instantly spotted him and squealed in delight. Harry, who didn't have the time or patience, to talk to a delusional ghost whipped out his wand and banished her with a spell he learned earlier that summer. She fled the confines of the place of her death for possibly the first time with an unholy scream.

Harry walked over to the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror, remembering the vision he had last night. Voldemort killed a muggle girl, not older than ten years with the heart shattering curse. Harry could remember how lost, how sad and how terrified she looked right before the spell hit her. Her parents were a sight he didn't want to think about, couldn't think about. The look on their faces was one that no person wanted to see for a second time. After Voldemort killed the girl he said a cheerful goodbye to the parents and left, with the girl lying in her own pool of blood.

Harry shook his head, desperately trying to clear his head of those thoughts and hissed 'Open.' in parseltongue. The sink sunk into the ground to open the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry gripped his Firebolt tightly and hopped into the hole. After he landed on the ground deep beneath Hogwarts he placed his broom on the ground and left towards the path he had walked in his second year.

Harry realised as he was walking how lucky he was to still be alive. The memories of that day came flooding back, the pile of rocks where Ron was trapped, his fear for what was to come, his recklessness. He finally came to the door and opened it where the magical green light poured out of the chamber. The basilisk lay where it was when Harry killed it, the statues stood exactly the same, everything was quiet but it didn't feel the same. Harry walked inside slowly, disgusted at the place. Everything reeked Slytherin.

He walked slowly towards the basilisk, looking exactly like it did all those years ago and inspected the place. Statues of sinister looking people and deformed animals lined the walls, skeletons of animals all over the place and dirt everywhere with the occasional rat or insect scurrying towards the corpse of the dead snake.

He shook himself mentally and revised the spell he would be needing for cutting the hard skin. He started at the head, making sure to spare every bit of the precious armour, and worked his way towards the tail but when he got to the stomach he noticed something glint. Curious, he removed the skin he was busy cutting and peered at the strange metal object. Harry was sure that it was magical because he could feel all around the small seemingly golden pipe and the red and white light emanating from it only proved his theory correct.

It gave a small buzz and vibrated a bit before Harry decided that anything coming out of a basilisk can only mean one thing, danger. He backed up slowly and raised his wand ready to cast any spell that would make it stop but as Harry's luck permit him it shot forth towards his right leg. He bolted for the door, shouting protection charms over himself as he went and grabbed the door handle but the thing struck his leg and disappeared.

Harry swiped furiously at the last place where he felt it make contact, sending it flying away. Not wasting any second he hoped onto his broom and sped towards the tunnel exit. He could hear the thing whirling right behind him and that only fuelled his anxiety. Without any thought of where he was going he shouted for the exit to open and flew out of it. He emerged from the opening to fly straight through moaning myrtle, apparently back at her rightful death place. With a shudder and a quick glance over his shoulder he sped up again only to see three terrified looking first year girls right in front of him. He swerved out of the way but still managed to hook the shoulder strap of one girl's school bag onto the front of his broom, sending her sprawling out onto the floor but by the look on her face he could see that she wasn't hurt to badly.

'Get this bloody thing of off me!' Harry shouted at them hoping one of them was as intelligent as Hermione.

As his reward for swearing the remaining two girls gave a yelp and cowered in one corner, while Harry was flying at breakneck speeds around a girl's bathroom, occasionally going through the damn crying ghost.

'AAARRRGGG!' he shouted again, panic mounting inside of him left for the door.

Without any thought about what he was doing he blasted away the door and went for more open grounds, hoping for all that he was worth that his broom was faster than this beautiful golden pipe. He went for the door, only to find that it was in between periods and the ruckus he made attracted a bunch of students. He went over their heads in a blur and was happy to at least see that he could fly over their heads without problem. He looked over his shoulder to see the thing still hot on his tail but it looked like it was starting to get desperate to get at him.

'MR. POTTER, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!' Shouted someone that sounded like Professor McGonagall.

By way of showing Harry again tried any spell he could think of over his shoulder but when he looked again a wall was right in front of him and the rest of the crowd gone. Harry threw curse after hex after charm after swear word at the thing but nothing helped and he resigned himself to the inevitable. He tried one more spell, conjuring a thick wooden slab right behind him, hoping to stop it that way. He started to slow down when he couldn't hear it and came to a halt when he thought it was gone but he apparently made one huge mistake. Instead of the usual pipe a blade the size of a dagger with the same hilt as the pipe came bursting through and Harry flew once again in the opposite direction.

A solid stream of spells heading right by his head made him look up for the first time and he saw Professor Dumbledore casting spells so fast that his wand tip was practically ablaze. Finally, when Harry was right beside him his Professor struck gold by covering both himself and Harry in some sort of bubble which the thing couldn't penetrate, not even with the dagger point hitting against it.

There were only a few sixth year students near and they seemed intelligent enough to stay well away.

'To my office.' Dumbledore said hurriedly and walked at a brisk pace towards the stone gargoyles that Harry was surprised to see right in front of him. When they were inside Dumbledore lifted his left hand and pointed his wand straight in front of him. He started a strange incantation that sounded impossible to say while revolving on the spot quickly. When he did a full circle the bubble popped, every strange ornament he had in his office became still and Harry heard the clanking of metal on the floor that was the golden pipe.

It was the first good look at it that Harry got and he had to admit, it was beautiful. Golden pipe the thickness of a staff and the length of about thirty centimetres which curled at the edge. Four rubies, red, blue, brown and white was incrusted in one side of the length and Harry saw it roll around, seemingly of it's own accord to show writing imprinted on the opposite end in gothic script that read "INITIATIVE".

'Tell me what happened.' Dumbledore said with a strange look on his face.

Harry told him everything of going down to the chamber, with the excuse of "Coming to terms with my past" and ended with him here in the office. He was careful to leave out the information of the armour but Dumbledore gave him a small knowing smile but didn't press the matter.

'What did you do to stop it?' Harry asked

'This office has a small feature in it that will disable every magical object inside it until I counter the spell.' Dumbledore told him 'It came in handy more than once but to the matter at hand.'

Dumbledore picked up the golden tube and examined it thoroughly, tapping it every now and then with his wand and muttering strange spells, which Harry took great pride that he could remember most of them.

'Well Harry,' He started 'I can't seem to find any traces of dark magic.'

'But it tried to attack me…' Harry began

'Perhaps we should look at every possibility.' Dumbledore sat down again 'Did it harm you? Even when it was on your leg? Coming out of a basilisk stomach means one of two things. It could be there for obvious dark reasons or it could be where some or other dark wizard placed it never to be found again.'

At Harry's puzzled look Dumbledore continued 'If you were a dark wizard, where would you put a powerful object you cannot wield but your enemy can?'

'So your saying that perhaps this thing isn't dark at all?' Harry asked

'Perhaps, but lets find out about it more.'

Harry and Dumbledore did some experiments, tests and sitting around drinking tea, coming no closer to the problem at hand. What they found out however was that the thing was basically unbreakable. It had the basic charms in place and some hexes but nothing major. In the end they decided to take the risk and put the magic back into Dumbledore's office. Again the same thing, it sprung up and leached itself onto Harry's leg, where it became invisible. Harry couldn't feel it but he somehow knew of its presence. In the end Harry took it with his hand and lifted it where it behaved like a piece of gold, doing nothing.

'See if you can find out more, like how it produced the dagger.' Dumbledore advised

'It has a dagger, sword, axe and a staff, well more like a rod.' Harry said before he could stop himself. 'What the hell?'

'How did you know?' Dumbledore pressed.

'I don't know.' Harry felt like a caged animal, he knew things that he didn't even know how he knew it. Harry pressed the red ruby and a sword produced from the end of the hilt. While Dumbledore toppled over his chair with his wand raised Harry some how knew that it would come out. Red like fire, in fact it looked like fire inside glass, the red is changing colour. He pressed it again and it disappeared.

'How did you do that?' Dumbledore laughed at himself from the other side of the room 'I'm an old man, I can't take surprises as well as I used to.'

'A battle axe.' Harry said simply to himself and he pressed the brown ruby and out came a battle axe, also using the shaft Harry has in his hands. He pressed it again and it disappeared.

'Dagger.' He pressed the white ruby and the same dagger appeared.

'Staff.' He pressed the blue ruby and a blue staff produced from both ends, so that the hilt looked like it was inside of the centre. It was the same length as the one he used with Xilion but this one was lighter and stronger.

'That was something Harry but can you leave it in my office?' Dumbledore asked and indicated towards the glass case, where Godric Gryffindor's sword lay.

'No, I'll keep it.' Harry said without thought. 'Nobody needs to see it.'

'Harry there is much more experiments that needed to be done…' he started but Harry cut him of

'Please, I can tell you every spell on this thing. Something about it, I don't know, I have to keep it.' Harry said 'Or don't you trust me with this?'

'Harry that's not what I meant but if that is what it's about you can keep it. You know I trust you.' He said to Harry.

'Thanks, any news about Voldemort?' Harry asked

'Oh yes, and better news than most.' He said 'The Order of the Phoenix in Africa was successful in their campaign to enlist the help of the Tokolosie. Before you ask, small creatures, the size of garden gnomes but far more intelligent. Most native people are scared of them but I asked my men there, against their better judgement to ask for help and they were astonished when the Tokolosie community served them food and accepted their offer.'

'What will they do?' Harry asked picturing hundreds of garden gnomes on a death eater.

'They will ensure that no creature of Africa can fight in this war. Some of the most fierce creatures are there. It is believed that the basilisk and griffins come from Africa.

Secondly, Remus and Tonks found out that most Death Eaters cannot perform the three spells, only few can, the more powerful ones like Malfoy and Bellatrix. Voldemort seems to put in all of his efforts to teaching his followers that spell but it seems all for nought.

And lastly, on a sadder note, Sirius' will.' He paused here and rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses 'He wrote separate ones for each of us and if it may make it any easier, he made me a better person so to speak. A great man Sirius Black.'

Harry didn't really understand the abrupt change of topic but it brought unwanted emotions in him. Sirius has written him a letter, the last piece of parchment he would ever receive from his Godfather, ever. But that's how death work, no last words, no happy faces, nothing except memories.

Dumbledore pulled an envelope from his desk and gave it to Harry, who took it with shaking hands.

'I'll be back after some business I need to attend to.' Dumbledore stood up and left the office leaving complete silence in his wake.

Dear Harry, it read

I am dead but I don't want you to worry. Don't question your beliefs and don't now that I am gone. You have always not followed your heart but at least I can say you followed others' hearts.

That is one thing very few people can do, I couldn't but you can. Twelve years in Azkaban can make a man philosophical and one thing I realised is that there are three 'Phases' so to speak.

One, those who strive to follow their hearts but never succeeding. Two, those who actually follow their hearts and then third, people like you. People who always place others in front of them, people who would rather give praise than receive but would take pain rather than see anyone else under it.

Don't stop being like that, never.

On to the matter at hand, the will. What will you get?

Remus got most of my and my families vaults, which included some amount of galleons but not much because I cleaned them out as soon as I was out of Azkaban. It is in a muggle bank, including all of the properties my family owned except for Grimmauld place which I gave to Remus.

The only thing I ask you to do with the money is to use it wisely, don't think like you do, think ahead, in the future. What do you plan to do after Voldemort is dead, after Hogwarts? I know you will think of something.

Don't give up, never give up. Remember that.

Sirius.

P.S. Do me the honour of drinking a fire whiskey with your friends on me. Madam Rosmerta will give you. She always gives underage kids but nobody asks.

It is a sad thing, to read something of someone that doesn't dwell on earth anymore. Almost sadder not knowing what lay beyond death, where do you go, what do you do or do you simply stop to exist, gone?

Something inside of Harry told him there is more to it. He knew that humans have a soul, something no other animal or creature has. He knew it was all about good versus evil, everything is, choices, actions, paths everything. Maybe there is something like good and evil after you die. It is almost the base line of all existence and then there is love.

He finally knew how true love feels like, funny that the only time he felt it since he remembered was when evil attacked him. The protection magic of his mother was sorely based on love, he felt it, and experienced it and it was the best. With a force that powerful nothing can stand in its way. He knew how his mother ensured such magic would happen when Voldemort attacked them, he can feel it burning inside of him. He knew how to use it, it's guiding him through life, teaching him everything he doesn't even know. Like this "initiative", he knew how to handle it. Already he can picture the moves, the best way to attack or defend for every circumstance in his head.

He knew how to manipulate magic, physics, it's running through his head like occlumency with Snape. He can feel the magic surrounding Hogwarts, the earth, even himself. Sirius is dead and there is nothing he can do about it. His mother and father are dead and there is nothing he can do about it. His relatives hate him and there is nothing he can do about it. His friends love him and again there is nothing he can do about it.

The only thing he can do is to enhance the good and fend of the evil. He was prophesised to kill Voldemort, the evil of his time, but why stop there? He didn't want to stop helping, the feeling he got from helping others, is bad at the time but afterwards, when you think back, you know you did the right thing. That feeling is the one that stays and encourage. Between all the bad cycles there is one good that lingers, the one of helping where you can. He knew that his path is a hard one, Xilion told him that, he told Harry that every good man's path is hard. But he would take it so that one day, one day when he is old that he would think back and know he had done the right thing.

Harry walked out of the office and went to his dormitory where he fell down on his bed and took a nap for the rest of the afternoon to recuperate. He hadn't had a good sleep for a while now and all the stressing was taking its toll on him.

The next three days passed in absolute silence, no attacks, easy classes and a normal routine for once. He did what was asked of him in class and he did some extra work. Even Xilion turned up more than planned but he couldn't find any flaw in Harry's fighting form. He said that Harry had one enormous life force name something that sounded like chi. So he started on some control lessons that ensured you would have a calm and collected mind even in the heat of battle. He taught Harry soft spots on the human body and some other strange exercises that he didn't want to dwell on.

Malfoy finally left the dungeon prison to go to his manor and left Harry with the words 'tread lightly potter.'

It was dinner time on Wednesday and Harry with his friends was enjoying a meal and some small talk with Luna when Dumbledore sprang out of his chair after a word with Snape and left the great hall with Professor McGonagall right behind him.

'What do you think happened now?' Neville asked in a random direction.

'Everybody to your dormitories right now!' Snape hissed above the murmur of the students.

There was a moment of silence but then everybody started to move and chaos reigned. Every student rushing for the doors and crazy rumours running around like wildfire. Harry went with the flow and before he knew it he was in the foyer before the castle door.

'Come on Harry.' Hermione screamed 'What are you waiting for?'

Harry was standing at a window looking out but he didn't like what he saw. Hermione pulled on his sleeve but Harry didn't care, he could see Dumbledore and McGonagall rushing towards the forest with Hagrid in front. It could be a normal sight except for the fact that they are running but something else nagged inside of Harry, something felt wrong very closer than the three running figures. It only took a moment for him to realise what when his scar burst into pain, a numbing thud constantly in his head.

'GO!' Harry screamed 'GO, I'm RIGHT BEHIND YOU!'

They rushed on and when they where at the corner to the entrance of Gryffindor tower Harry duck behind a statue. His friends didn't see him, his friends didn't know of the danger that was near Hogwarts. He jumped out of the nearest window and landed with a thud on the ground but luckily he thought of cushioning charms before he landed. He rushed on, into the direction of the forest, through the fog faster and faster. He knew what was at Hogwarts, he knew he was going to fight or die in this hour but he didn't care.

He saw lights and flames ahead but something else nagged inside of him. He felt like he was running in the wrong direction, he felt like the danger was behind him even though he could see a battle being fought in front of him. Fog so dense that the only thing you can see is flashes of light heading your way. People appear and disappear like ghosts, monsters and beasts screeching and roaring for blood and flesh.

This was a fight like he hasn't seen in his life. Lighting flashed, lighting up all the fighters for a second and Harry realised that he was right in the middle. Hundred or so people, about twenty beasts and thousands of flying things of varying size jumped about. It was chaos, complete disarray, silhouettes of people being slaughtered could be seen, screams of agony from people, shouts of victory from others and commands from leaders.

It felt like a dream, a nightmare but his mind told him that this is real. He plucked out his wand and started to help the small number of aurors to his right. He said incantations so fast that it sounded like a beautiful poem, he did the wand movements in time and it seamed like some strange unearthly war dance.

Step by jump by swing by turn, he did what he could. He registered faces of some Order members and he saw Dumbledore but he didn't care. Words flowed out of his mouth like rivers and spells streamed out of his wand in millions. He could see the faces of the enemy, evil with no remorse but when he turned to them they fled into the fog hoping to get away from Harry's wrath.

He went after them, running as fast as his feet could carry him and stopped them, giving them a moment of pause before he struck and the symphony continued again.

He stopped in front of a chimera and took a moment to look for a weak spot but he couldn't find one. The tail swung around and smashed him in the side of his face. Only then did he realise where he was. He was flying through the air, in the middle of a fight and he could do nothing. The beast didn't stop there, it slashed with its bloody claw and struck him in the arm tearing flesh out of skin and then it all sped up to normal speed. The sounds come crashing down and Harry registered what was really in front of him.

He couldn't give up now. He knew how to fight and he will. His initiative was in his hand with a thought and he carried on. He ran towards the chimera sword raised, red blade shining bright, and he attacked. It swung it's claw but Harry knew what to do, he could see the moves in his head. He jumped to avoid the shot and slashed his sword in a fluent slice, cutting a deep cut into the hide of it's arm. Harry didn't stop, he used his advantage and raised his wand in his left hand, shouting a fatal spell which struck in the heart. With one last roar and a look that clearly said well fought it toppled over and died.

'HARRY, GO TO THE CASTLE NOW!' He heard Dumbledore shout.

He turned around and saw his headmaster standing right behind him looking like a rag doll. His brilliant robes where torn and cut, his left arm hung loosely at his side but his face betrayed his age. Wrinkles showed everywhere, his hair looked more grey than white now but his eyes told Harry that he was truly exhausted. The only thing that kept him going was his love for the school and the student within it.

Dumbledore's expression changed from pensive to fear.

'BEHIN…' the old mans mouth formed words but before he could finish Harry felt object hit his head and then a tug at his navel that signalled the pull of a portkey. The swirl of colours rushed forth and he landed on a stone floor that looked like a dungeon and when he looked up there stood hundreds of figures clad in black robes all with their wands raised towards him.

Harry's first reaction was to duck for cover but something else within him told him to do the exact opposite. He didn't know if it was the adrenaline in his blood or if he just lost his mind but he reacted anyway. With the first step he took spells rained down on him, looking like a beautiful rainbow except that each and every beam was directed towards him. Not one was friendly.

Harry's instinct took over and he jumped as high as he could, foolishly, towards the enemy and evil. His initiative was in his hand, changed to the battle axe, and his wand in his other when he landed right in the middle of a group. Everything he ever learnt sped through his mind and he set his sight on one of the minions, who trembled in fear right the second before Harry struck his head with the blunt side of the axe. Momentum is the key to what enabled Harry to do what he did.

After he hit one of them with the blunt side, his weight was leaned forward so he went with it, breaking out of the circle of black robed men into another. Harry started to fire spells again in the direction his arm lead him.

It is incredible to think how everything falls into place. Who would have thought that one could fire spells as fast as Harry did at that time but if you look closely he performed every wand movement perfectly. Every thing fits together. Aim left, turn then fire, aim up and jump, then the spell stream out of the tip of Harry wooden wand.

'WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!' Harry shouted and one man flew upwards hitting the thirty-meter high sealing of the chamber he finds himself in.

Spells came and went towards Harry because they were either dodged or returned with another three spells from him.

He saw three attackers approaching at a fast rate, to close to stun or disarm so he changed the form of his axe into a staff and swung in one fluent movement to stop them. He swirled around and struck the left most one with a blow to the side of his neck, shattering it with a force impossible to obtain in any means by a normal person. Using the back force he swirled the other way round and struck the right most one in exactly the same manner.

For the last one he swung the staff back and with a predictable blow went for the man's ribcage which he blocked with his arm. All this time Harry turned and attacked, he managed to avoid all the other spells sent his way by the people around him, just out of range for his staff. One spell, Harry didn't manage to predict in his subconscious but he felt it coming, Avada Kadavra, from right behind him. The green light raced forth and Harry dodged it, much easier than he was used to, hitting Harry's direct opponent min the torso.

'STOP THIS PETTY FIGHTING NOW!' a hissing voice said from somewhere above Harry. He jumped around to see Voldemort standing on a floating rock right behind him.

'I must say, you have improved since we last met.' The snake like man continued 'There you were only a small boy, not even worthy for the name wizard but now, look at yourself.'

Harry looked down only because he was so astonished by the words spoken by Voldemort. What he saw gave him a small fright. His arm was glowing faintly, his hair on his arm stood on end, moving slightly as if in a faint breeze. But the thing that caught his attention most was the fact that his wand was on fire, completely ablaze in a golden flame. He lifted his staff, which sent small lightning sparks in every direction, in a movement so fast his hand looked like a blur and let it fall to his side again.

'Let's see if you, in all your glory can dodge this!' He hissed 'ADURO!'

The black coils started again, exactly like it did the first time but something was askew. Voldemort had spoken the words without aiming towards him but yet; here is the sick black light heading his way at astonishing speeds.

At a time like this, when you know you have to face something horrible, something that you know the feeling of from before, you don't act rationally. Harry lost it.

His instinct evaporated and his logic left him, leaving him with fright and memories of the last time the spell had hit him. Already he can feel the pain, burning, pounding and to top it all of it felt like acid on raw flesh.

A small bead of sweat ran down the side of his face and Harry truly 16-year-old mind took over. What do a 16 year old do when he is in danger and imminent pain such as this? He run like hell and that is just what Harry did.

He didn't think that if the spell follows him, he is going to slow down from exhaustion eventually and be hit. He didn't think that he is surrounded by hundreds of Voldemort's followers and even if he somehow managed to avoid the spell, they will get him.

But he couldn't give up this easily, he couldn't give up hope, the will to go on. Even in his state of mind his will continued to fight the fight against his inner demons. He ran full tilt, pouring every ounce of magic he had left into his muscles, towards open grounds. A wall right in front of him stopped Harry eventually and the spell made impact.

The same pain, only stronger, more pronounced, penetrated his body from the heart and spread like a virus towards every part of his body. Before he knew it the spell was lifted but the damage was done, his arms felt sticky full of sweat mingled with small droplets of blood and he couldn't go on.

The last words he heard before he lost consciousness were Voldemort giving orders.

'Tie him up, make sure that he doesn't get away. Bellatrix, come with me. There is important business to finish.'

'AFTER I HAVE COMPLETED MY MISSION, WE WILL RULE BRITAIN!' He shouted to the crowd who cheered so hard the sound of it made Harry pass out.

5 hours earlier in the Gryffindor common room

'Where is Harry?' Ron heard Hermione scream right into his ear.

'What happened?' someone else yelled.

'How did we lose him?' Hermione again.

Gryffindor tower was in absolute pandemonium after the abrupt departure of Professor Dumbledore and the dismissal of Snape. Every person talked or yelled at the same time, not knowing what is going on or speculating about it.

The only logical explanation was that the school was under attack and that Professor Dumbledore was trying to fend them off. The only mystery that remains now was the fact that Harry is missing. He was right behind them, Ron saw him when he turned into the tower but then he was gone, like a ghost disappearing into thin air.

Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, he needed to find his friend, Harry needs him at his side, his logical brain man. Harry trained hard and one could rarely see him not revising some or other spell incantation or wand movement. Harry was permanently stiff from the exercises he did with that other bloke, Xilion.

'RRROOOONNNNN, WHERE IS HARRY!' This time she went to far, the Sonorus spell is meant for crowds not one's ears.

'Dammit how the bloody hell should I know!' He yelled back straight at her.

'He is fighting.' Ginny said softly, barely hard enough for them to hear above the cacophony of sounds.

'How do you know?' He asked urgently.

'I saw him running out towards the forest.' She said 'He jumped out of the window.'

'Come on lets help him!' Ron screamed

'We can't, it's locked. All of the windows are locked, I tried them already.' She said again, this time more desperately.

'Let me show you!' Ron screeched.

If there is one thing he learned from Harry it was to never give up.

'REDUCTO!' he shouted with all of the might he had within his adrenaline filled blood stream. The window shimmered and after a moment it shattered, sending shards of glass and brick everywhere. He didn't waist any time for the girls to catch up before he jumped out of the window into battle and possibly death. For Harry, he would give his life.

Professor Dumbledore walked silently through the fields of bodies that littered the green grass of Hogwarts. Only a few hours ago the battle ended in favour of them because of the help from centaurs and some of Hagrid's eight legged Pets. Not to mention the arrival of Harry's friends.

If he ever doubted that those three could fight a battle of this scale he was sorely mistaken. Hermione could shoot spells out of that wand of hers like he hasn't seen anyone do ever. Ginny could do some training though but she could give as much as she got. The only thing that she needs to learn is to keep your distance. She tends to go in, head first. And Ron, he shot a Death Eater right through Hagrid's hut, with power most couldn't imagine to achieve.

'ALBUS!' He heard frantic screaming from right behind him.

'Yes Severus.' His voice, something in his voice made Dumbledore realise that it would have been better for Harry to be dead at that moment.

'I've seen him.' He whispered 'He shouldn't be alive, he should have been dead about three hours ago. He should have been dead. Nobody should be able to live in a state like him.'

'Severus' Dumbledore soothed 'Calm down, relax. Tell me what happened.'

'All right.' He said, seeming to have regained himself 'Not here, his friends might overhear.'

The two old friends walked back to the castle, still standing proud and tall, and entered the safe surroundings of ancient magic. When they were seated in Dumbledore's chairs around the fireplace Severus started again.

'Right after you told me Voldemort took Harry I went over, which wasn't to hard because Voldemort's dark mark summoned all. Something to do with Harry…'

'What's that?' Dumbledore asked, Harry having an affect on Voldemort's dark mark is serious business.

'I'll tell you later.' He said to the headmaster 'Well, I got there in Death Eater attire and saw when Harry appeared right in front of Voldemort. Four hundred and fifty wands on one boy, Albus he didn't look scared. His eyes, it was almost glowing white; people around me were so scared. When Harry didn't drop his wand Bellatrix attacked first and as you know it only takes one spell to burn down a house.

About a hundred spells heading his way, he didn't even flinch. He stood and waited with that crazy sword in his hand and when the first one struck him he jumped towards the Death Eaters, not away, into them. Over their heads and right in the middle. He killed them all, about twenty, not one spell hit him. It was like some kind of dance he performed. Everything he did led to another, every shot he threw were followed by another.

That's not even the biggest part. His spells, Albus I'm not kidding, he cast spells faster than I can think. Not the small things you do without saying anything like conjuring, huge spells with massive power. The only thing you can hear is his voice, almost amplified, chanting spells over and over. He can say three spells at once, or it sounded like it but anyway he held his own for about two hours against three hundred. He just didn't stop. Finally Voldemort hit him with Aduro and he fell. Voldemort disappeared to who knows where and some of his inner circle took over.

As we speak he is being tortured non-stop. He should have been dead, physically, but he is still standing on his own two feet when the next round begins. It's disgusting, Macnair is on the show right now, using his knives and dagger. I tried to stop them, I tried my best but Bellatrix got me and it seems like the whole place moved. I can't find it anywhere, not even Voldemort.

I don't like Potter but it's disgusting.'

'Get our men from the order, everybody, and find Harry, do it now!' Dumbledore said urgently. Harry is in grave peril and from what Severus has told him it doesn't sound good. Plus, Severus always under exaggerated with torture. Something that is pleasant for him is hell for most others.

He must to find Harry.

Right after Severus left he stood up and went to Fawkes, who was watching the whole scenario with something as sorrow in his eyes.

'Find him.' He said to his trusty familiar, sadness pushing towards the surface 'Please find him.'

Fawkes disappeared, leaving behind a small flame where he had sat before. Albus knew what that flame represent, he knew that if the flame is gone, so is Harry. He peered intently into the flame, looking for some kind of indication, anything that might help him find Harry.

When he looked at the flame he could see it shrinking but it ignited again after a second or so. Something or someone is helping Harry… Perhaps it could be Harry himself, the kind loving and caring Harry helping himself, as he had to do his whole life because of Albus himself.

Only thinking of that brought a wave of nausea into the pits of his stomach. Albus always thought of himself to be caring, putting others interests in front of his own but seeing Harry last year break down like that stirred something inside of him. Something that was always there, for fourteen years but he suppressed it with cool logic.

Harry is safe with his family, Harry will become a great wizard and rid the world of Voldemort once and for all but things turned out so bad, so horribly bad. Yes, Harry turned out to be good and loving and a great kid but how easily could it have gone wrong? How easily could Harry have decided to turn dark?

Again I go on with logic instead of my heart. How easily could Harry have turned out a miserable kid who hated the world, thought that the world owed him something? But no, Harry thinks he is a burden to anybody and anything. Harry could be happy and at ease with himself, Albus could see that but Albus had to pay for his mistakes. He has to see Harry smile, it makes him happy to see Harry smile, he has to see Harry strain to come out of his shell once in a while but worst of all he is the only one that noticed Harry truly. The poor boy, everything he does, says, everything Harry does with a subconscious saying, shouting "You are a burden to all those around you!"

How can an old man like himself live with that, knowing that he was the reason behind all that turmoil.

A small thrill of Fawkes' song brought him back to the present, he has to find Harry. He has to tell his friends, they are probably worried sick by now. That is his burden.

Albus silently walked the halls of Hogwarts thinking of how the best way would be to break the news to Harry's friends at four in the morning. When he arrived at the fat lady she opened with one glance and closed right behind him again. There, on two comfy chairs sat Ron, Hermione and Ginny facing the back of the portrait.

'Any news?' Hermione asked. Ron looked eager as well but Ginny didn't even look up or acknowledge his presence, she looked to deep in thought.

Dumbledore summoned a chair from next to him and sat down facing the three friends. He started at the beginning, he told them everything.

In the darkest dungeon of the earth, our hero sat huddled up in one corner of a small room. Every now and then a shudder overtook him or he would convulse in pain for a few seconds as the potions they forced down his throat began its next onslaught until it completed its job, to kill the person, his soul.

Whoever said that magic knew no bounds must have been one sick person. This potion, Harry figured out, was to target your very being. It was like an insult thrown at you but in a literal way. He could actually feel the potion eating away in the flesh of his soul, his hart.

I have to pull through… Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Everybody I care for will die if I do and I will not take them down with me!

That was his mantra, his source of inspiration that kept him going through every action they took on him. With the short glimpses of conversation he heard he realised that they made a betting pool to which person could actually do the worst thing to him before he died.

His Initiative was still with him, they didn't know it, it didn't matter. If he used it he would only die faster.

Someone entered and Harry stood up, he wouldn't go down like a fool, a hopeless man like Pettigrew. He would look every man or woman or what you would like to call them in the eye when they tortured him, letting them know, in Harry's own way, that he isn't afraid.

It was a foolish thing to do, he knew but it was his only thread of reality in him. His only connection to the world out there. To stand for what you believe in. He knew he was going to be hurt beyond help, beyond any hope of recovery but it didn't matter for him, he would give it willingly for the people he love.

Is this what Pettigrew felt like when he gave his arm for Voldemort? Did he love Voldemort or feared him? What a stupid question. His brain answered for him. How ironic, Pettigrew giving flesh willingly as a servant, Harry giving flesh. Maybe not as a servant but close to it, a servant to mankind. His purpose was to rid the world of Voldemort, nothing else matters.

Don't think like that! It's the potion talking. Pull yourself together.

'LISTEN TO ME, DAMMIT!' said the voice that pulled Harry back to the present, the hard reality of what he has to face. Harry only glared at him in return, his hand itching to grab hold of the initiative and to kill this man before him with an axe over the head!

Pull yourself together!

The man wasn't a fool, quite the contrary; he was the most intelligent man Harry saw in the ranks of Death Eaters. He immediately noticed the twitch of Harry's fingers, the jump of his eyes to search for weak spots on the man, Harry's facial expression. In a flash the man was out of the room, door closed.

What a pathetic excuse for a man, cowardly, if he would only come back in here!

You're falling for the potion. Harry's mind warned him silently, becoming softer and softer every time it talked, or thought?

The door opened and Harry was prepared for the coward. Initiative in hand, raised above his head, battle axe out, footing perfect, ready to behead the man.

Don't.

What he didn't expect was the four beams of amber light heading his way at breakneck speeds. It made impact before he could clear his mind, picture the pain in his head, counter it with everything he got. It was the third task all over again.

Pain, unbearable pain, not the pain of Aduro but enough to make a person lose his mind. His axe dropped to the ground along with Harry who writhed in terrible pain. He could feel the magic assaulting his nerves, his nerves sending to much current through to his brain, his brain pulsing from the inside, not knowing what to do with the signals it's receiving.

After a moment it was lifted but the damage was done. Harry couldn't do anything for a few seconds and that was all it took for the man to take his Initiative, his only hope of escape.

The four men bound him to the wall with magical handcuffs, steel and strong. It was already uncomfortable to be tied up with his hands raised above his head, feet bound against the wall, unable to do anything but writhe in pain.

'Let the games begin.' One man announced.

Two of them left the room, clearly to spread the news while the other two stripped Harry down to only his boxers. Harry was unsure of what their real intentions was at that moment but he became sure when one man started to draw a picture on Harry's back with the scorching hot tip of his wand, leaving a thin trail of burned and blistered skin where it went.

A small yelp of pain escaped Harry's mouth. They weren't in it for direct pain. They wanted to leave scars for him to remember every detail, every day of his life.


	9. A New Beginning

(A/N: Hello everyone! If you are part of our group, sorry that you have to read this again, we discussed that we are having a change in plans concerning our book, please visit the group if you are to grasp a little more as what exactally is going on. Nifty told me to tell you all that you will struggle a bit with the change but next chapter will be more explanatory. Hope you all enjoy and please leave a review. - Nex)

Chapter 9 A new beginning

Today is the day that Harry Potter escapes this wretched place. Three and a half years is enough for anybody to go delusional if spent alone. Were it not for the small stream that came through the roof, Harry would surely have died a long time ago. He cast one last look to the chamber that he called his home; but not any more. He would escape.

He picked up his Initiative, still as shiny and good looking as before, and looked at his reflection in the metal of the dagger. His beard was probably longer than necessary but hey, it kept him warm and he wasn't going to give that up for looking presentable to nobody.

Harry raised his right hand and opened his fist, palm downward. His eyes close; a single breath fills his lungs. Small balls, the size of snitches, start to form around his hand, moving in orbit and then Harry opens his eyes, breathes out, and closes his hand.

His "mole" as he called her told him his only chance was directly below him, an ocean ten miles in radius with uncountable maze-like tunnels leading to who knows where. But he would do it. He had spent three and a half years surviving under Voldemort's lair. Three and a half years with no food. Three and a half years where he had learned to do magic without anything more than his Initiative and his mind. Later on he learned to do it without batting an eye but only for small things. One year spend completely alone.

The balls shoot out of his hand, spinning around each other, gaining speed, feeding of off the energy provided by the other ball's friction as they move through the air. It was a simple case of manipulating the earth's physics 'cause that's what magic is all about right, to defy physics.

After about thirty seconds they move almost too fast for Harry to see them. He lowered his fists slowly and the balls, by now looking almost like a transparent sphere, about fifteen centimeters in radius, followed his fists to the ground.

The cave floor touch starts to give away. It sounds like one huge drill, hammering into the floor. Chunks of rock and dust fly everywhere and Harry quickly performs a shield charm to prevent any further pain of the shooting shrapnel.

The "sphere" moves so fast by now that it looks like a solid ball. The friction caused by the ground is far greater than that of the air, causing it to go faster. It was completely inside the ground by now, the sound almost unbearable to the brittle ears of Harry.

Then he heard water splashing madly far below. He opened his fist and the sound was gone, leaving in its wake only small tremors caused by the disturbance in the rock. He couldn't cast normal spells, not without his wand. But he had a basic idea of what he could do now. He took out his initiative with the dagger out and began a series of fluent movements.

A buzz of sort could be heard. It sounded almost like wind whistling around corners of buildings. It sounded like the buzzing of a swarm of bees. It was unearthly and the sound sent chills down Harry's spine, yet it gave him a sense of security. When he felt a small wind ruffle his head he blew into the air, softly, just like the wind around him.

Everything went silent and suddenly as if it was there all along a small manifestation appeared. It looked like tornados formed into a fairy with wind for clothes. This was what created air. Harry gave the small figure one glance and jumped down the hole, the figure following him, now and then passing around his head, giving him a fresh supply of air.

When his feet touched the water and his body submerged every nerve in his body screamed in protest. It was cold, unbearable piercing cold, as if every dark creature like Dementors washed their hands in this water. He lifted his one hand and took all of the heat around him out of the water, the little that was there, and forced it around him. It wasn't warm, in fact it wasn't even warm enough to stop his teeth from clattering but he wouldn't die in this condition.

It was strange, to feel water on your lips, cheeks, every other part of your body but when you opened your eyes there was air around it. When you open your mouth, sure that water will flood in like a small tidal wave, it doesn't. A bubble of air was always present right inside your nose, mouth and eyes. It was the work of the air manifestation, giving you a fresh supply of air and clear vision inside water.

Incredible things really, manifestations. They had their own brain, their own life force; the elements. They will do anything to save a life. The moment one of them appeared, sent to him by his "mole" he sort of fell in love. Heck, he even tried to kiss one when they planted a seed of a cucumber plant and made it grow but never again. The scorching heat of the fire manifestation –acting the sun- gave him blisters the size of grapes on his lips. He spent a lot of time trying to perform the art to summon or create one of them and he finally found out how to do it. His initiative. It was fire, water, air and earth. The four elements in one weapon.

And so Harry began to swim. Through the tunnels, into underground lakes, trying to find any indication of an exit. He had learnt a lot of things inside of that cave. Sometimes he even thought he was sent there for a reason, forgotten even by the beast that threw him in there. After a month of torture by Voldemort and his followers they lost interest. Bigger things were to be done, or so Harry heard one of them talk to another when the question came forth of why to throw him away, inside the cave surrounded by the darkest creatures known. Harry wasn't only surrounded by rocks and stone but a whole community of vampires, basilisks and other things, freakish breads of dragons, Dementors, ghost dogs, all as savage as hell itself.

That is where Harry had really learned to fight or die. The occasional undead creature, unbound by the laws of this world, would wander through the walls surrounding Harry, seeking fresh prey to claim as their eternal slaves. He fought them all, killed them all, and praised himself on a job well done. He would secure another moment for himself on this planet. Two years later on they let him be, thinking that he would die – after all, he didn't have any food. No living creature could live without food. They were wrong. Harry could, in fact any person with enough magic inside of them could. The magic will start to flow through your veins, feeding any organ that needed to be fed, cleansing them and healing where necessary. After a while Harry's blood changed from red to almost transparent. He didn't know how or why but it didn't matter, it kept him alive.

And so he swam thinking back to his time spent inside of that cave, his coffin as Voldemort called it. He learned more than he had all his years in Hogwarts. He didn't learn unnecessary things like how to make a tea cup run around. He learned how to live with magic. He figured out how to keep track of time with magic, how to create air or water, how to put up wards that would impress even Dumbledore.

One thing couldn't escape his mind though. It was always there, when he slept or ate or fought. It was the thought of his friends, what they might be doing now, how they felt or how they would react to the sight of him when he saw them again, if he saw them again. He missed them all; he cried his eyes dry, wondering if they were all still alive, happy or sad. He even found himself praying right before he fell asleep in the evenings for anther chance to see them, to say properly goodbye before he would die.

Finally Harry reached a huge lake; the water became a bit warmer, more alive with fish here and there. It was a great feeling, knowing that he would be free any moment now. The only thing that boggled his mind was the fact that he saw a shark a while ago. If his suspicion was correct then he wasn't in a lake but the ocean.

It wasn't a reassuring thought.

He didn't care, he have had worse times in his past. What was an ocean in the face of our hero? He conquered three years in the clutches of Voldemort. He fought with his head held high against enemies so terrible that most would cower in fear. Some of those monsters still haunted his nightmares, as embarrassed he is to even acknowledge it to himself. His mind was scarred, not by Voldemort or the things he did to Harry but the faces of the undead. Their simple cruelty that shouldn't be allowed on earth in the first place but because of Voldemort they were.

Harry didn't know what Voldemort did to try and secure his immortality but it certainly didn't look good from Harry's point of view. Harry didn't know how the Wizarding world was faring with the war but if those things underneath Voldemort's lair were to be released…

That, Harry didn't want to think about.

Harry swam fast, using the heat available from the warmer ocean to create underwater streams and currents. And then he saw it, sunlight. One ray of the purest white light that Harry hadn't seen since his last days at Hogwarts. It spurred him on, he forgot about everything, the heat creating currents, the summoned air manifestation, all of it disappeared and it was only Harry, just plain Harry, in an ocean so vast that he would look like a single atom in a ton of feathers. He swam upwards while holding his breath, feeling the pain in his chest as his lungs inflated. He didn't care, the only thing that Harry yearned for at that moment was the sting of the air on his face, the relief that one breath would give him.

It happened… And it felt like heaven. It was the taste of life, the taste of freedom… A new beginning.

Harry took a few breaths, letting his eyes adjust to the harsh glare of the sun shining pleasantly over the ocean. He didn't know where he came from because when he looked back there was nothing but rich blue water. No sign of anything that could possibly resemble Voldemort's lair. In all directions only Harry and the water. Harry scrunched up his face and in the next instant he was lifted out of the water, standing on what seemed to be a thin layer of air. It moved forward, slowly at first but gaining speed at every passing second; Harry's determination used as fuel.

As he gained speed he had to sit down to minimize the air resistance. He followed his instinct, letting nature guide him to the nearest piece of land from where he could figure out a way to find his friends. The sun battered his skin without remorse; he hadn't felt sunlight on his skin for over three years. Heck, he must be as white as Voldemort by now.

A few hours later, a very sun burnt and thirsty Harry saw the first glimpse of land and he couldn't help the happy sound he made that seemed to come straight from his heart. He walked out of the small waves that struck his ankles every now and then. The beach, normal looking was a gift on its own for Harry. The sand sticking to his feet was like a pleasant foot massage but Harry had only one thing in mind. He would find his friends.

Harry walked inland for a while and found a lone man walking through the small forest.

'Uh, excuse me sir?' Harry asked, his voice sounding strange to his own ears. The man looked at him for a while and then pulled out an automatic rifle, pointing it right at Harry's face. Harry's eyes widened in surprise and he automatically lifted his hand into the air.

'Walk.' The man replied savagely. Harry looked around himself and started to walk in a random direction, to his left in this case.

'Other side.' The man said and Harry complied, more out of curiosity than anything else. He was slightly put out that in his first free moments on solid ground he was again taken hostage.

They walked in silence for ten minutes, the man poking him every now and then in the back with his gun, until someone deep in the undergrowth of the bush made a strange noise, repeating a single tune.

'Stop.' Said the man and Harry did as he was told. Not even three minutes had passed and already Harry could see seven points of guns aimed in his direction. Slowly but surely all of them came out and one of them, most likely the leader came up to him and bound his hands firmly with a strong rubber band. They led him into a hidden shed, not far from where they originally where, and bound him more firmly to one of the walls. For a moment Harry felt fear, past memories came flooding back.

A black wall stained with blood; his blood. A pitiful cry of pain out of his lungs that had shouted to long and hard for one lifetime. His shuddering body that had tolerated pain to much.

He was shaken out of his past thoughts by a fist striking him in the jaw. Harry opened his eyes again and saw a man standing there with a pistol in his hand but for the first time Harry paid attention to his surroundings. An old man, by the looks of it late in his seventies and a small girl, not even ten years old stood in one corner, at gun point.

'Kill the old useless waste of flesh.' Harry heard a bored voice from the doorway. A millisecond later a gun shot fired and it was all over. The life of an old man gone, Leaving behind only the shouts of anguish from a small child. She looked up from her position on top of the corpse with eyes that showed so much hurt it cut Harry deep.

'WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?' Harry yelled in outrage. And here he was thinking that only Voldemort could be so evil. He apparently had a long way to go still.

'Ah, the new one.' Said the man, without a trace of sorrow on his face. Harry could still hear the little girl's muffled sobs as she buried her face into the clothes of the dead man. 'You could do good work for me. Are you willing? I won't kill you if you do; I'll give you enough food to live from and a place to sleep. If you don't want to, I'll make you.'

A slave driver. A FUCKING SLAVE DRIVER! HE killed the old man because he was useless in the eyes of this sick man.

'Lift up my shirt.' Harry told him calmly. The man gave him a look and ordered one of his minions to do as Harry said. When Harry's torso was uncovered Harry asked him 'What do you see?'

'Stop these games. Malout, get the knives.' He instructed but Harry stopped all movements.

'Where do you think I got all of this scars?' Harry said savagely 'I was tortured you fool! And I escaped to come back and find my friends but now I see you, my friends can wait.' With that said Harry broke free of the chains on his wrists and before anyone could see what was happening Harry's Initiative was in his hand, sword drawn.

Anarchy was one word to sum up what followed after that. Gunshots fired and bullets impacted everywhere. Harry wanted to strike, to attack but he couldn't - the girl was still in the middle of all this.

Harry gave one mighty push and all of his magic pooled around him, creating a small sphere. He didn't hesitate, and sprinted towards the girl. She looked terrified at Harry's form but didn't have time to react before Harry had her in his arms, safely secured inside the bubble of Harry's magic.

Harry didn't dwell though. He jumped out of his own protection to stop these monsters and he did it without a hitch, except for the fact that as he landed one of the bullets hit their mark and struck Harry in the knee. He didn't even think twice about the pain and slashed his sword around, slicing through one of the guns. Harry spun around, hitting the man out of action to stumble backwards a fall over a table. Harry jumped up as another burst of shots came out of the barrels and kicked one of them around the back of his head knocking him out cold. Harry could swear he heard something that spurred him on, gave him strength and courage.

A drum roll, sounding far away and then something like music, a war cry, one that filled Harry's heart with determination. He couldn't explain it. But it was incredible. He heard it every time he fought in that cave.

The last two Harry simply knocked out with the flat side of his sword, leaving unpleasant looking burns alongside their faces where the reddish sword made impact. Harry looked around and quickly bound the men with their own shackles. He canceled the magic around the girl and slowly walked to her.

She scrambled away like a frightened squirrel and cowered in the corner. Harry looked at his hand and noticed his sword still in his hand. Harry dropped it, hearing the clatter of metal on the floor as the sword hit. He lifted his hand, palms outstretched towards the girl. She seemed to take his peace offer because she stopped shaking but still looked terribly scared.

'Do you know anybody we can tell to come and sort this out?' Harry asked silently and slowly.

She looked terrified beyond reason but nodded her head shakily 'M… my, Bro… Brother.'

'Where is he?' Harry asked 'Can you show me?'

She stood up and wobbled slightly. Harry jumped to steady her and he caught her right before she fell but that simple movement scared her. She cried out with tears streaking her already dirty face, creating small rivers along her young face. Harry only pulled her into a hug. What more could he do?

She overcame her initial shock but then began to cry in earnest. Harry didn't know anything about her but her life couldn't have been good for one so young to cry because of something as simple as a hug. After a while she stopped crying and showed Harry where to go. She walked next to him and finally they came to a cage, hidden by thick bushes.

Thirty men and twenty women sat inside of a _cage_ not nearly big enough for them all. Harry quickly forced the heat around him to the lock and it melted like butter. The people sitting near the door scrambled away but looked relieved all the same to be out of their housing.

A man walked out of the door, having to bend a bit to get out of it. He was a tall and strong black man, as were all the other people there. He looked at Harry and asked 'Who are you?' in a deep voice that could easily carry across a quidditch pitch.

'Harry.' Harry replied uncertainly.

'Why did you do this?' the man asked as more people pooled out of the cage. 'How did you know of us?'

'uh, I kinda asked one of them for directions, by the way were are we?' Harry asked hoping at least one of them know.

'You, my friend must have been whacked pretty hard on your head if you don't know where you are.' The man replied with a smile. Harry could only gawp. This man, locked up in a cage can laugh and truly mean it. Joke as if nothing is bothering him.

'How do you do it?' Harry asked but then saw his confused expression and added 'laugh like that. How can you be happy if you have nothing to be happy about.'

'Young man, laughter keeps us human.' He said his eyes looking like he's remembering some good memory from the past. 'We're in Mozambique, Africa. Come, I know where we can go.'

'What do you mean? Don't you want to go home? Where are the police, this can't go on.' Harry stuttered, trying to find logic in this man's decision.

'We have nowhere to go.' He said sadly 'all we can do is to pick up the pieces. Don't worry young man, we will be all right. Don't bother yourself any more with us, you have done enough, we will start over again.'

Harry had no idea what to say to that. Strange people lived in Mozambique, Harry decided but before he could ask the question brimming in the edge of his mind the man said 'there is a city east of here, about two kilometers. Hopefully we will see each other again.'

'I'll come visit some time.' Harry said, not believing even himself.

'goodbye friend, may there be lots of pleasantries ahead for you.' The man said with a nod.

As Harry walked away, he heard the girl say 'Who is he? How did he do all those things?' and he could have sworn the man smiled and say 'He, little girl, is a wise old wizard sent to save us.' and an 'Oooohhhh.' from the girl.

Harry allowed himself a small smile and felt his initiative latch itself to his side. He would find the city, find a wizard and then find his friends.

Meanwhile

Ginny walked out of her small kitchen towards her sofa where she fell like a dead weight on top of the battered furniture. It was times like these where she would sometimes wish that she were dead, away from the suffering and pain, the murder and destruction, and the bloody ministry of magic, the fools.

The Death Eaters had launched a huge attack on a Muggle town in Africa somewhere. Ginny had received word of this attack by Neville, who was working for the Auror corps of the ministry. He and Tonks were partners when it came to fighting Death Eaters and they made one frightening fighting force. Ginny had responded to his call and grabbed a Portkey that all of the order members had. It would take them to the destination they wanted to be, anywhere on earth. Hermione and Dumbledore had created it when they realized that Apparating to other countries was too draining, leaving the order members incapable of fighting.

Ginny went there and landed in the heat of a battle with about thirty Death Eaters, ten Aurors, five order members and a variety of vicious beasts all around her, fighting like there was no tomorrow, and for most of them there wasn't a tomorrow. Ginny, Neville and Tonks along with a few others had to collect the bodies of the fallen, talk to the Muggle police, Obliviate them, and make up excuses for the destruction. The Ministry didn't do anything. They were too "busy", as the big heads called it with wasting time and recourses.

If only Harry was still here, he would set them straight in a jiffy.

_NO!_ Don't. It was already bad enough to live in these times where so little people could be trusted without the thoughts of her lost friend. And besides, he isn't dead, he is just hiding, bidding his time, until one day he would come back with shiny armor and kill Voldemort and would become minister of magic and would piece together the whole wide world.

Even though Ginny was almost twenty years old and fought in an uncountable amount of battles she still hung onto some of her innocence. Her imagination, her cheeky humor in front of close friends. Some things had to be done to keep on going; something must motivate a person. The thing that motivated her most of all was hope. Hope that someday Harry would come back and sort out this mess. But who was she kidding?

Every time she thought this she felt mad at herself. She wanted Harry to sort out this mess, place the burden on poor old Harry's shoulder and then let him suffer instead of us. Harry had all the rights to hate everybody but still he carried on. For one month he was being tortured by Voldemort. The sick bastard sent them a new piece of Harry everyday. Firstly it was a single hair, tainted with blood. The next a nail, ripped out of Harry's hand. It only became worse. Until the last day, he sent them Harry's wand with a vein, Harry's main artery, inside a small box with a note that said.

_Farewell, side of the light._

_The dark will reign!_

_V._

The utter depression that followed that note was like none ever witnessed by Ginny. It was complete and utter defeat.

She went through the months that past in a kind of stupor, unaware of anything going on around her, not noticing the death toll rising, not noticing Hagrid crying while he was giving lessons, not even noticing Hermione and Ron getting together. Until one night when Hedwig showed up with Osiris, clearly saying goodbye. They were trying to find Harry Even in death they didn't give up. So nether would she.

She carried on, learning to fight, trained by Dumbledore and Xilion. She became an Animagus just before she finished her seventh year. She learnt how to kill. Her parents and Dumbledore tried to persuade her to apply for Auror training but she wouldn't have it. She would not work for the ministry, submitting to the never ending list of rules and regulations.

She participated in most of the battles, earning awards from the ministry, a small amount of fame, and a huge bounty on her head from Voldemort. Harry's possessions were distributed to all of his friends. She got his gun. It became one of her favorite weapons apart from her wand and she didn't hesitate to use it. In short she became a loose cannon.

After Hermione got pregnant she and Ron went into hiding under the Fidelius charm with Snape as their secret keeper. His Occlumency skills and immunity to pain and Veritaserum made him the perfect choice. He might be a bastard but he was loyal. Ginny knew most of everything these days. She knew who her parents' secret keeper was. Nobody else was supposed to know who any secret keeper was but she found out. She found out who all of them were.

There was a pop, announcing the workings of a Floo communication and Ginny sat upright, at least trying to look presentable for who ever was calling. It was none other than the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

'Ah Ginny, good to see you are resting.' The old man said in a voice that suggested he is the one in need of rest.

'Hello Professor.' Ginny greeted 'what's up?'

'Not too much,' he said 'same things as always.'

'Any news?' she asked him.

'Oh yeah, uh, lets see,' he seemed to be looking down at his hand 'a few scattered raindrops accompanied by the trademark lightning caused by friction in the rain. I've had to wrap my head in cling foil, mind you.'

'Aberforth?' Ginny questioned, narrowing her eyes at the man while her hand moves towards her side where her wand was.

'The one and only.' He said smiling at her 'I wanted to tell you that the _real_ professor will be holding a meeting as soon as his birdie snuffs it.'

'And that will be?' Ginny asked again.

'Figure it out, it's not that hard.' And with that said he disappeared again.

Ginny shook her head at the crazy old man. How the hell was she supposed to know when Fawkes is going to burn? She sat a while pondering the riddle of the man who might as well be a sphinx, but gave up.

She quickly took a shower and dressed. After she got everything she needed - wand, gun, chest armor, and a poisonous dagger - she left her compartment muttering the charm to seal it. She decided that if she was early she could always spent some time with the Aurors patrolling the school grounds, or even pay Dobby a visit. She giggled at her last thought and apparated with a slight pop. The only person who would pay dobby willingly a visit would be Harry. She re-appeared at the gates leading up to the magnificent castle and Ginny was just going to start walking when there was a pop slightly in front of her, marking the arrival of Tonks.

'Hi, Gin.' She said merrily, her hair forming a red Mohawk with green for base. Her nose also had a definite red shade to it.

'You look awfully merry today, why so happy?' Ginny replied, eyeing her hair with amusement.

Tonks simply grinned a strange smile and motioned for them to start walking.

'So, wha…' Ginny started but Tonks interrupted her before she could finish her sentence'

'I got promoted.' She said beaming.

'Then that means you're…' Ginny thought for a moment 'only four steps away from being head.'

'Yeah, they told me today. My own squad to command, it's great, all the things we could do. I always thought they needed sharpening around the edges and that's what I'm for…' Tonks started to blubber and Ginny tuned herself out, thinking instead of what the meeting might be about.

When they arrived at the headmaster's door they knocked once and let themselves in to find the meeting already in sequence, looking like they had been going on for a while.

'What…' Ginny said confused and glanced at Fawkes who looked perfectly fine.

'We told you Aberforth, come on pay up.' Said George, sitting next to Aberforth.

'Ginny, come on it wasn't that difficult' Aberforth said jovially 'If you hear that someone's pet is going to die you have to come immediately. See how much these two woman care for your bird Albus?'

'Ginny, Tonks, welcome. Please take a seat.' Said Dumbledore smiling with a tinkle in his eye.

'Dumbledore, sorry. Your brother told us the meeting will start when your "birdie will snuff it".' Tonks said quickly, making apologies.

'We didn't know when Fawkes' next burning day will be so…' Ginny finished lamely

'Not to worry, we were only informing the rest of the most recent attack.' He said conjuring two more chairs for them.

Dumbledore slowly got to his feet and started talking again, in his old and tired voice he always used since Harry died.

'So to finish off, the attack was completely spontaneous and nothing more than a little fun for them. If any of you have gotten any ideas or plans tell us about it, please. Our time is up. They have more men, although not as good as us,' he smiled at them 'we are outnumbered fifty three to one, not even counting dark creatures.'

There was a silence so deafening that Ginny hoped beyond hope that one of the twins would crack a silly joke. Who stood up however were Kingsley and Moody.

'We are outnumbered, Voldemort may never die, we may loose many more in the way that we already lost countless, but' Kingsley's voice shook them all out of their silence while Moody carried on the speech.

'We carry on. We fight. No matter how dark the outcome, we have to be strong. If we fight strong enough we will kill of their numbers one by one until only Voldemort remains. We will all die, why not live on the edge, enjoy our lives, kill some Death Eaters, and make the future at least a bit brighter. I vote to carry on, if we stand firm, there will be another who could kill him, mark my words, I know it.' He growled, his eye spinning madly while he twirl his wand between his fingers. Moody never let his wand go from his hand these days, not even once.

Moony stood up and said 'I second that. You know my history, I have nothing to loose.'

Dumbledore stood up again, he looked sad, probably thinking of Harry. Ginny knew that look. He cleared his throat 'It is all well and good, but we have to work with a plan. Voldemort can recruit more members than we can possibly kill. I fear for a lot of things these days. But I fear mostly for this school. Every Muggleborn is within these walls, except those under the Fidelius, and if Voldemort decides to strike, he will break through. He will loose many people but he can take it. He doesn't know it but he can.'

'Where is your optimism man!' said Fred loudly 'You are becoming old, don't talk shite into our heads! I have respect for you Professor, more than you may think, but we did this countless times, overcame impossible odds. You may think the castle is weak, you may think you are becoming weak but every time you weep for Harry, we all feel it. Through the bond shared by order members, we all feel it. That just shows that you are still strong, very much so.'

George carried on 'Who of you will take on Dumbledore in a duel?' he waited a moment 'see Professor, nobody, not even the head of the ministry's Auror corpse. Come on, don't feel like you failed because Harry is dead. You are still very capable at the age of one hundred and sixty this year, even though you don't see it, we do. Don't doubt yourself. My brother did that and see were he is now, under Fidelius, hiding. Don't get me wrong, I understand his position, with his lad and all, but why aren't you hiding if you are so afraid? It's because your subconscious won't allow you.'

He and Fred looked at one another and then sat down at the same time with a huge sigh.

'Wonderfully said' Dumbledore declared 'I will think this through. Who can help me with the wards? I want to reinforce them with a spike charm just for good measure.'

'You do realize that it will take a very long time to conjure up all those spike and embed them into the wards, don't you Albus?' said his brother.

Dumbledore nodded with a wink at Fred and George.

'Then I will help you.' He said but at that moment Fawkes disappeared with a shrill tone and a burst of flame, re-appearing a few seconds later, looking at Dumbledore with a tear in his pearly eyes

'Oh no! There again?' Fawkes nodded 'Very well.' He turned around and looked at the assembled people 'Mozambique, come on, I'll come with you, we take this one with force!' he walked into his room and got his battle cloak. When he walked out again he saw all of the people ready and waiting for him.

Ginny couldn't remember when last the Order showed so much enthusiasm for an upcoming fight but she was grateful for it all the same. She was tired of it that before every fight people thought only one thought; who will die today? Ginny looked at every man and woman there, all of them ready to fight. Dumbledore and his brother, Ginny and her brothers, every teacher assembled, Hagrid, Xilion and his wife, people of the ministry she didn't know all that well. Everybody was ready.

'We defend those people and their land, we stop Voldemort's forces and we protect the land's great up bring of restorative potion. Without it we wouldn't have come this far.' Dumbledore announced 'Severus, inform the Aurors that we will be going, I will meet you there.'

With that they sprung into action, heading out of the castle, earning stares of admiration from students and remaining teachers as well. They knew what those people will be doing shortly, defending the world, so to speak. All of the students they passed lifted their wands in thanks and question to join them, a tradition that came not long ago, after the first Hogwarts battle, and the day Harry was taken away. Dumbledore nodded to a few of them with a sad look on his face and then they would fall is step with the Order. They will join the fight.

Six seventh years, three sixth years and four fifth years fell in pace. They were strong people, brave students, not afraid of dying. When they crossed the wards Dumbledore lifted his arms and everybody fell silent.

'Students, protect yourselves and don't take risks. I don't want any casualty of the student body today, do you hear me?'

Eight boys and five girls agreed to the terms and then the order members pulled out their Portkeys. Ginny motioned one of the fifth year girls to come to her and she did.

'You'll be fine, don't worry and stay close.' Ginny said, reassuring the girl.

The countdown started and before she knew it she was standing in front of Death-Eaters, rows of them. All hell broke loose in that instant and the sky were filled with cries of enchantments or pain. The spells streamed like rainbows through the air but Ginny didn't waist time to admire the sight. The girl was already firing spells of her own and transfiguring barriers for protection. Ginny could only admire her cool logic and speed before she too sprung into action.

Twenty minutes later more Death Eaters arrived, dark creatures in tow. A few order members were down but Ginny didn't think any of them were dead. She couldn't say the same for the Death Eaters though. She took out five with her gun alone and she saw Xilion stabbing his third victim with his sword. The girl that came with Ginny gave a yell when a Death Eater fired and killing curse right in her direction. There was nothing she could have done to prevent the inevitable. That girl was going to die.

Ginny fired a shot from her gun, sending the offending Death-Eater hurling away from the force of the Banishing charm inside the bullet. The girl and the Death-Eater fell at the same time, both of them dead.

The cry of anguish from Dumbledore broke through the battle field like a siren. It seemed like the weight of the world was thrusted upon his shoulders and without any delay, he fought like he was supposed to. Sending spells faster than Ginny could possibly ever hope to achieve. His movements became faster, his eyes blazed like a light in the dark and he cursed and hexed, taking out people faster than Ginny could count. He looked as if he weighed nothing, moving graciously through the crowds, dodging spells, taking others without ill effect. He swept his wand in one long movement, tripping most of the Death-Eaters and sending flying ones spinning wildly. The Order took this as their cue and sprung into action, stunning, killing or hexing the enemy. Ginny fired shots to a chimera that had only now joined in. Not even the burst of reductor curses combined with the heavy lead of her bullets seemed did any damage to the beast. It turned his attention to Ginny, its eyes bloodthirsty, green drool dripping from its mouth and its claw raised high above its head.

Ginny was, for the first time since she actually started to fight, scared for her life. It didn't hesitate, couldn't sense her fear and swung. Before she could move the claw made impact against her arm which was hanging at her side, and shattered the bones. The force lifted her from her feet and she was hurled straight into the waiting arms of a giant. It didn't hesitate to strike, throwing her savagely to the ground like a rag doll. Ginny could feel the life draining out of her when she made impact. Her air was knocked out of her lungs, she could feel her ribs puncturing her lungs from the side, she could feel her leg snapping, hanging at an odd angle. It was the worst Ginny ever felt in her life, her heart were hammering against her battered chest as she saw the giant raise it foot, intending to stomp Ginny. At that moment Ginny could have sworn she saw a white beard, clear blue eyes staring at her over the top of half moon glasses on a crooked nose.

'Let's go home Ginny' said Dumbledore right before he embraced her and Apparated away, to Hogwarts.

'Ron!' Hermione screamed from the kitchen over the cries of her baby boy. She waited a moment longer and then screamed again.

'Damnit Ron! It's your turn to change his nappy!' She bellowed again. The nerve of that man! He could be the sweetest gentleman she knew and utterly lamely romantic but sometimes she wish she could pluck his head out of Quidditch's arse. She finally heard footsteps come down the stairs and she prepared her speech. When Ron finally came down the look on his face made her get second thoughts.

'Sorry, had a Floo.' He said and Hermione felt the cold fingers of dread creep up to her heart. The only person who could Floo them wouldn't normally do it for their own pleasure. Ron went through the stages of changing a nappy second naturedly, lifting his son right onto the food counter but he didn't even seem to notice. As he started to change the nappy he began to speak.

'There was a battle, major from the sounds of it.' He started 'the whole Order was there, including Dumbledore.' Hermione let out a small gasp 'it seemed like they wanted to win this battle good, give courage back to the light. It worked beautifully; everything was done in little over four hours, minor Order casualties. Only one Auror and a student' here Hermione let go another gasp, she could feel the same feeling return to her she had since Harry was gone, fear. _Don't go there._ 'Ginny was fighting like a woman possessed again, only…' here Ron faltered and Hermione snaked her arm around his waist. 'She got struck by a chimera. It threw her straight at a giant.'

'Ron, please tell me she's not…' she couldn't finish her sentence, it was too hard, her eyes were already starting to water.

'She's alive.' He said with a sigh 'her arm is shattered, leg broken on three places, punctured lung, cracked skull, and vast amounts of damage from the chimera's poison.'

He broke down completely, sinking to the ground, holding his only son (with a new nappy) close to his heart, and cried out in pain. Hermione sunk with him to the ground, trying but to no avail to quell her own sobs. Ginny would certainly have lasting damage, she shouldn't even be alive.

'How long are we going to hide?' he said in between sobs 'Voldemort will get us in the end, we know that deep down.'

'Ron' Hermione pleaded 'it's for the best, we decided long ago.'

'Hermione, I know you, it gnaws at your heart just like it does to mine. We can't hide. It's no use. I don't want to die a coward. I want to go like Harry.' He said Harry's name softly but with so much respect one would think he is a three year old boasting about his father.

'He held his head up high. He was tortured for a month Hermione. Every single day something new from Harry's body came to us. Even one of his testicles. From what we heard he never gave up. He even looked Voldemort in the eye when he removed Harry's main artery. Macnair went mad from Harry even though it was supposed to be the other way round. Harry laughed at Voldemort and spat in his face, just before Bellatrix removed him for his death. You heard the testimonies of some of them under veritaserum. I will not go down like Wormtail. And I would much rather kill myself before Voldemort can do it Hermione. I know you feel the same.'

Hermione couldn't speak; she had a hard time as it was to breathe. Everything Ron said was true, every last word of it. She would rather kill her own son before he joined voldemort and as things were going now, that isn't a long way ahead.

Finally she said 'Okay.' And it was all she could not to break down again. They would fight like Harry. They would fight for him, he couldn't fulfill the prophecy but that wouldn't stop her and Ron from trying to carry on where Harry stopped.

Professor McGonagall walked the walls of Hogwarts, tired and sore from the battle. She was lucky in this one. She didn't even realize how rusty one can become if you didn't practice something on a regular basis, like fighting. It was just a stroke of miracle that she "happened" to find herself next to Alastor and right behind the twins with all of their ingenious inventions. With them around you didn't even had to use a wand!

Small things they call hand grenades explode. Awful things those. And then there were the shields they made. Small plates of iron that hover in front of you and buzz around like snitches, taking the curses and hexes. In fact they look like clowns on a battle field, with all their colorful contraptions and strange use of spells. She caught one of them throwing a laxative charm at a Death-Eater, hardly the mostly used fighting spell. But she must admit they were effective, in a manner of speaking. More so than most of the more brutal types, like Ginny. Unlike their sister they don't just give the Death-Eaters what they deserve; they humiliate them in front of their comrades and leave them alive for apprehension and interrogation.

She walked towards Albus' office, and gave the password to the statue. When she approached the doors it swung open of their own accord revealing Albus sitting on his chair, looking happy, as if he had just taken a stroll around the lake instead of a full fledged battle.

'Minerva, what a pleasant surprise.' He announced. It annoyed her that he always greets her in some fashion that contradicts himself completely. _He knew I was coming._

'How is everything?' she asked him tiredly.

'Oh… It is a terrible disaster that one student had to go, a good girl.' He looked truly sad as he talked about the girl 'her parents were already here.'

He paused for a moment while he chewed on a biscuit, looking like he was pulling himself together.

'The people who were apprehended are being interrogated at this moment - hopefully some of them will have information. We need to know where his fortress is if we ever hope to win this war. I know that he is almost done with his dragons and if he releases them…'

'What about Charlie Weasley and the whole camp full of dragons? They can be controlled to an extent.' McGonagall said with no small amount of apprehension.

'You know what he did to those dragons; Hogwarts' wards will have a hard time with those. Strong as they may be, it can only last so long and if we put a small army with them, we will have an old castle without any protection save the walls.'

'The walls are the strongest protection this castle has.' She stuttered 'Surely you know that.'

'I do, I do. But what can we do? I can feel my power leaving me, I can feel myself getting old. Look at me.' With a wave of his wand he removed the glamour charms on his face. Wrinkles spread over his face, his eyes became droopy, looking tired and his beard and hair thinned out looking more gray now than white. He looked like a picture perfect grandpa.

'Oh Albus.' McGonagall said softly.

'See, now you understand why I act the way I do, why I can't do much more.' He said slowly, his voice box preventing him from speaking louder of faster.

Harry walked down the road, his mind a jumble. There was a battle fought only a few kilometers back, a magical battle. That means wizards and witches, and that means one step closer to home. He walked some more, the road seemed to have no end. He craved the times of when he was still in school, thinking of homework, quidditch, a small cut on his hand maybe. Now everything was so much worse.

He was tired, and sore. Some of the wounds the monsters inflicted couldn't be healed. His body seamed to respond in some unnatural way. He found he had to use the toilet far more often, but still nothing would come out. He was thirsty and so hungry.

Now that he was out of the chamber he felt weak. It must have had some kind of magic on it, he could go weeks without food and he was actually living a normal life in solitude. His knee was bleeding badly, throbbing painfully and each step he took it became worse. His blood was returning a normal shade of red - he couldn't even will his magic to still the pain anymore. It was like his magic seemed exhausted.

His sword didn't shine bright as it used to, in fact it was a normal blade. He felt his magic leave him for a while now but he didn't think it would come so sudden, so fierce. He felt powerless.

He lifted his palm, he just had to see. He willed the magic inside of him to co-operate and it did. A flame the same size one match stick could generate sprung up in his hand. Was it only a month ago that he could summon a fire the size of a sphinx? Was it only a month ago that he felt so powerful? Daily he saw his fire reducing until only this was left. He thought it was the anticipation of escape that made the flame reduce in size. Perhaps even the subconscious thought of people out there that could take care of him if he needed it.

The one thing he didn't think about, no didn't want to think about that maybe, just maybe he was dying. Slowly but surely for a month and counting. It was ironic that he could survive all that he went through in his miserable life but in the end, when he thought he could recuperate for a while by escaping he was in fact dying. The flame he generated reduced until it flickered out completely and at once Harry felt pain beyond pain flaring up from his knee. Everything was in pain, the huge gash in his arm, it wasn't just throbbing now, it was burning like hell. He felt blood starting to flow through the sore, and every other part of his body that was cut or torn.

How he didn't realize all his wounds earlier was not something his mind could work out at this moment. Harry fell down to the ground with a cry of pain. His couldn't speak, his throat was to sore, he tried to breath but the air sucked in from somewhere below his chin, filling his lungs not only with air but blood as well. He could feel his blood dripping from his fingertips, running down his legs and chest. He could feel it flow over his face, his vision like a red and warm blanket covering him for his eternal sleep. It was comfortable in his cocoon made by his own blood. He would stay there for a while. It was so peaceful, so calm…

Molly Weasley stood next to her little vegetable garden next to the burrow thinking, not for the first time, how it was going with all her children. Bill, working with treasure of Gringots. She didn't know what he did but it was dangerous all the same. He was the one that had to ensure the safety of the wards around the piles of gold and gems buried deeply within the earth. And Charlie - dragon keeper was already a dangerous title to have in front of your name, more so in these times, with all the Death Eaters out for a dragon. It was Charlie's job to not only keep them safe from disease but from the enemy as well.

Then there was Percy. Working in the ministry that didn't mean anything these days. He still worshipped Fudge but at least he was speaking to his father and mother, sending them funds to help them in their forced retirement. The whole place was plagued with spies from him. Then the twins, still with their joke shop, but fighting as well. How is it that all the younger ones fight and the older more experienced had jobs outside of the battle field. At least they promised her they would make sure of their safety first and then carry on. So long they keep that promise. Thankfully Ron was the sensible one and fled with Hermione and their son. At least one of her siblings will be safe.

She couldn't say the same for Ginny. If only she could make sure her daughter is safe, every mother has a soft spot for their only daughters. What made her turn the way she did? Why did she have to go and become one of the most prominent fighters for the Order? Molly didn't have to think too hard to answer that question. Harry.

As soon as she thought about that Hedwig gave a mighty screech like a caged animal although she was sitting next to Osiris on the tree in front of the Burrow. They were restless ever since Harry died. Going for weeks on end and returning with nothing, only they knew what they were searching for, thin as skeletons. They would accept the care Molly offered them and then set of again; the two of them making for a strange sight. A snowy white owl accompanied by a pitch black dragon, both the same size. Today they were simply being menaces - Hedwig screeching like hell was freezing over and Osiris pawing the ground, sending small fireballs everywhere. Every now and then he would whine and roar, looking like he was going to be sick and then sending another fireball.

Suddenly he gave a roar so loud Molly was sure it must have came from a fully grown dragon's throat. He stood on all fours, charring the ground he was standing on. He made as if he was going to be sick again but instead he gave another roar the made molly's ears ring. There was a shimmering around the dragon for a moment and then it blinked out with a flash of bright white light. Molly screamed and covered her eyes from the light and when she reopened them something not exactly Osiris stood in front of her. The cute and cuddly small dragon was gone, and in its place was an exact replica, only a hundred times bigger.

Standing next to the burrow was a fully fledged dragon, standing on its hind legs - its face turned upwards, mouth turned open. It sucked in air with a purring noise that molly felt in the ground and suddenly sent a streak of fire so huge it could have incinerated the whole Burrow to nothing but ashes if it was heading that way. When the flames three times as high as the Burrow went out a great big ball of black smoke remained that waived away with the wind.

'MOLLY!' she heard her husband scream from the interior of the house 'WHAT IS THAT!' before she could reply Arthur burst out of the front door with his wand held high, sending stunners at the huge beast but to no avail. Ten stunners didn't even make slow it down. Instead it lowered to the ground slowly, its head moving in a lazy fashion towards Arthur. It was three meters away when it stopped, its shiny eyes glistering in the sunlight, pinning Arthur where he stood with fright. It made a soft purring sound from deep within its throat that still managed to send tremors through the ground. It moved cautiously closer to Arthur but didn't look like it was going to strike at any moment, instead it tilted its head sideway and fell down onto its stomach, exactly like Osiris used to do when he wanted a rub on the neck from Arthur. The impact made them stumble but they kept their balance.

'Molly,' Arthur said slowly 'what is this?'

'I… I don't know. Osiris was there a moment ago and then a flash of light and then this thing.' She said scared beyond words.

'How did it happen?' he asked.

'Osiris was looking like he was going to be sick and then suddenly a flash of light and then this.' She said starting to babble.

Arthur looked at the Dragon in front of him and stepped closer until he was in reach distance. He patted the huge dragon's head with a shakily hand and his suspicion was confirmed when the dragon began to purr again. Hedwig hooted from somewhere in the sky and molly thought she about summed it up, 'oh hooooo' indeed.

Osiris looked at molly and then took flight after Hedwig who after all seemed to have called him rather than display her disbelieve. They flew one circle above the burrow and then Hedwig shot South-East with a tremendous bust of speed, followed closely by Osiris who seemed to enjoy his huge fire balls, for every few flaps it took, another ball of flame could be seen lighting up the horizon. They flew so fast within minutes they were completely out of sight, going to who knows where.

'Could you tell me what happened?' she asked her husband who had come to stand next to her.

'Don't know' he answered slowly 'It must be something important if Osiris broke free of whatever enchantment or potion was on him.'

Harry was vaguely aware of the sound of drum rolls, a symphony-like song; a battle cry. It gave him strength, he could feel it returning to him slowly but to no avail. Every time he gained strength the pain would come back, the pressing need his body has to simply stop functioning. The song continued and Harry didn't stop to fight, the pain lessened every now and then but it came back like nothing before. He was aware of some presence near him but he couldn't see it, he doubted that anybody could see it because Harry had a vague idea that it was not there at all. He could feel something, he just didn't know what; it was like you feel someone watching you but can't pinpoint the person.

It didn't have harmful intentions towards Harry, only towards the people who inflicted the pain on him. Harry was starting to feel scared, this thing, whatever it was, wanted to come to Harry but something held it back, Harry couldn't tell what. It would be nice to have a companion with him at that moment, anything. The music started again and Harry felt heartened, this thing, whatever it was, was sending the sound to Harry.

Harry wanted it with him, it was powerful but most of all it wanted to be with Harry, sooth his painful sores, give him strength but it couldn't come.

Harry willed it to come, he cried out in his head for it to come, he even cursed and threatened it for it to come but nothing worked. He had to get it; it was an opportunity that he couldn't simply throw away. Again he willed it on with his mind, helping the thing with its struggles to come to Harry, cheering it on. And finally Harry felt a breakthrough. The music fell into place. It wasn't a small glimpse of the sound Harry heard, it was a symphony so inspiring that Harry felt his determination returning. Adrenaline started to pump through his body, he couldn't help it, it just came. Harry opened his eyes a bit, breaking the dried blood on his eyes.

Even now, when Harry felt so strong and happy that this thing was with him, he could feel the life drain out of him. If only he could just catch sight of the thing that gave him strength for the last time. Harry could hear breathing nearby, only it was so soft one would miss it if you didn't listen closely. He could hear paws stomping on the dirt next to Harry's chest. He could feel the sunlight being blocked by a shape in front of his eyes. And then Harry felt a snout of some animal on his cheek followed by a tongue licking the wounds. At once the pain stopped where the animal licked it. Harry could feel whiskers of some sort. He opened turned his eyes so that he could focus on the creature in front of him. It was the size of a wolf, no; maybe a bit bigger and it had thick white fur with red streaks in it.

The fur right below its big clear eyes was deep red, making it look as if it is crying blood. Its face was the same form of a wolf's only the snout was a bit longer and broader, its teeth were perfect white, sharp front teeth. For a moment Harry felt a flare of fear, what if it was a werewolf? But when it licked Harry's deep gash on his neck and the pain stopped, Harry knew it couldn't be one. This thing was better built than a werewolf, the same size but it looked stronger. Harry knew that no werewolf stood a chance against this thing. Harry thought that it looked like cross between a lion, a tiger, a cheetah, and a wolf, except it had no mane. It had characteristics of each animal. It looked stealthy but yet strong like it could fight face to face as well. And it soothed Harry's pain, sustained his wounds just as Harry had done for three and a half years.

This was one incredible creature. And then in the distance Harry could hear a roar, Harry had heard that roar before but what would that do here now? Hopefully it would leave Harry alone - Harry didn't fancy a hungry dragon next to him now. The thing next to Harry had other ideas though. It stood next to Harry and gave a roar in return. Only the roar was so strong, so terrifying that Harry was sure it would send Voldemort running tail between legs. The dragon roared again, this time closer and Harry heard it touch down. In the next instant Harry saw a bird circle overhead, an owl, a white owl to be precise. It dropped down and hovered right in Harry's field of vision. It hooted softly, soothingly and Harry remembered that sound. It was Hedwig. His owl!

'H… Hed…' that was the most Harry could say but the bird touched down next to Harry and nuzzled his cheek. Clearly she understood what Harry was trying to say. The creature purred softly next to Harry and then Harry opened his eyes again. He couldn't even remember closing them to see the face of a dragon hovering right in his field of vision. Something of his face looked familiar, only last time Harry checked it was hundred times smaller.

'Os…' it was the most Harry could manage the second time but the dragon hopped up and down. He flapped his huge wings and lifted of the ground. Next he reached out with his claws and scooped Harry softly of the ground. Hedwig flew up next to Harry's face and hooted softly flying out front. Harry looked down and saw the magnificent creature running full tilt below them on the ground. He looked even more incredible from up there and he could keep up with a dragon and a post owl. That must be fast. Harry could feel their speed increasing as they flew, he could feel the wind whipping his face and clothes but just when it became too much Osiris lowered his head and the wind stopped mostly. Still the creature kept up and it didn't look as if it was going to fall behind.

It would keep Harry safe from the ground, from predators and Death-Eaters while Osiris made sure Harry got there safely. Harry had his own guard of honor of magical creatures. They were taking care of him. They would make sure that Harry arrived safely at the destination Hedwig chose. Harry could take a nap for the trip. Nothing can touch him here. He was safe, they would ensure it.


	10. Welcome Home, Harry

Chapter 10 Welcome Home, Harry

Harry woke up gently for the first time in three years. He swayed from side to side, up and down, going with the flapping of Osiris' wings. He had a feeling they were near wherever Hedwig was headed because they were slowing down considerably. The moon was high in the sky, lighting up the ground for Harry to see that strange, yet wonderful beast running right below them, still as fresh and strong as it looked right when the journey started.

Harry summed up in his brain the time they had been traveling and came up with a rough estimate of six hours. He was still weak, the bout of pain had its drawbacks but it was the same as Harry had felt for three years. He could feel the magic flowing through his veins. It wasn't his magic, that's for sure, it had to be that thing's magic 'cause Harry still couldn't feel the reassuring feeling of magic inside of him. It was so a part of him, the constant throbbing no, pulsing of power that it felt alien to be like he was now.

Harry looked up and saw a sight that sent emotions running through him like he couldn't remember ever having. It was love, no not love, happiness maybe? No, it was emotions Harry hadn't felt ever in his life. If he had to sum it up then he would say, it is what it would feel like for someone to get a dead relative back. For right before Harry and his guard stood Hogwarts castle, outpost for the light.

Harry felt the wards on the place from afar, he sensed them as he crossed them, and he figured out every one that was in place. One that boggled him though was the ward with his magical signature in it, he just couldn't place what that thing was supposed to do.

They touched down smoothly, Hedwig and Osiris both panting for air while the creature breathed normally with only its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Harry sat up, resting his back against Osiris' foot with Hedwig on his shoulder. Harry reveled in the feeling of being safe, soon he would meet up with Dumbledore and then his friends, he would start anew, he will built his empire from scratch and this time he will turn the tide on Voldemort. But first, he will live again. He will enjoy the small things in life.

Voldemort be damned! The war may be raging but Harry will regain a part of his life that was taken away from him.

It was then that Harry saw a figure hurrying towards Harry and his companions. He walked fast but it seemed to cost him every effort he possessed. He was clad in night robes of deep blue with stars twinkling on them, he had slippers on that looked vaguely like bunnies. When he approached Harry saw the face of Albus Dumbledore with tears streaming down his face.

'Who are you?' he said in a wheezy voice 'What kind of sick joke is this?'

'Professor…' it was a small spoken word but for Harry it felt incredible. A man he thought he would never again see in this world was standing in front of him with a tear stained face longing to see his student that was long gone. Harry felt his mouth go dry, his eyes started to sting, the only thing he wanted now was to give the crazy old man a great big hug. And he did so.

Harry stood up and walked forward slowly, the pain in his leg coming back but he ignored it. A tear dropped from his eye and fell to the ground. Since when did Harry hurt so much that his tears fell to the ground? He took another step and looked up to Dumbledore's face, into the mans clear blue eyes that held no twinkle, only hurt. Harry couldn't hold himself back, he couldn't wait another second. He reached out with his arms and held Dumbledore on his shoulders, looking into his tear strained eyes once more before he collapsed like a dead weight onto his old Professor. Dumbledore held him firmly, pulling him into an embrace with Harry's face on the mans knobbly shoulder.

'Is it you?' he asked Harry thickly, straining to get every word out 'Is it really you after all these years?'

'Y… Yes professor, it's me' Harry said lifting his face only enough to speak.

That was the undoing of Dumbledore. He broke down completely, tears flowing out of his eyes like small rivers, a burst of laughter followed again by crying. He couldn't seem to make up his mind whether he should laugh or cry. So he tried both at once that came out like a snort. Harry, for the first time in years, was happy.

Dumbledore held him at arms length and looked him up and down. 'How, how did you survive. Look at you, if I couldn't have felt you in my own arms I would've thought you were dead. You need hospital right now.' And again he pulled Harry into an embrace that one as Albus Dumbledore would only give to a lost grandchild.

'Professor, I'm fine.' Harry said smiling slightly, to happy to express in words or actions.

'You were lost Harry, where were you for three years? You look like you were in hell. Come…' he looked at Harry again with undiluted shock 'Good lord Harry, how is it possible to be alive in your state?'

Harry laughed a deep throaty laugh and said with a expression possibly glowing 'It's magic professor, magic.'

'Come Harry, you rest now.' With that said Harry's old professor lifted him clear of his feet and carried him with strength Harry didn't know the old man possessed. They walked like that to the schools grand front doors, Dumbledore carrying him like a child. Hedwig and Osiris stayed behind but the creature followed them inside. Rounding every corner first, still alert.

'Who's that?' Dumbledore asked with a smile and a nod towards the animal.

'Don't know…' Harry said softly as he drifted off to a sleep so wanted and needed that nobody could deny Harry the opportunity.

Right before he nodded of completely he could have sworn Dumbledore said something to the creature that sounded like 'You kept Harry safe, I presume?' and a sound that sounded like a bark and a soft roar was the reply the old man got.

'Albus, I came as soon as I heard.' Said the urgent voice of Professor McGonagall 'Is it really…'

She looked transfixed at the man lying in front of her, the person she knew didn't look like this man. She knew a boy, a young man perhaps, who looked healthy and strong and… Well at least not like a corpse. She couldn't say the same for the man in front of her. The first thing she noticed was his contours of his skin. It was so pale, so sickly white he looked like he had never seen a ray of sunshine in his entire life. This man in front of her was thin as sticks, his joints looking to big for his body. He was so thin she wondered if he had eaten in a year, he looked worse than the worst case of anorexia she had ever witnessed. Yet his scar was unmistakable.

What made her stop in her tracks though was the condition this man was in. There were cuts all over his body, blisters everywhere one looked, gashes that had to be lethal to a normal human being. He was bruised so badly it looked like someone tried to paint an artwork on his body, using him as a canvas. And as she looked closer she could see all over his body, in the form of burns and cuts, a pattern that looked remarkably like,

'The Dark Mark.' She breathed. There was no doubt in her mind anymore that this man in front of her was indeed Harry Potter. 'How is it possible?'

'That Minerva is yet to be found out.' Dumbledore said again looking at his once was student. 'How he survived all of these years with that all over him is more a mystery to me.' He said indicating to his body, meaning the cuts and bruises.

'Surely not for years.' She said with a small tear in her eye.

'Poppy says that that injury there,' he indicated to Harry's throat which was covered in salve but one could still see the huge slice on him 'was sustained just over three and a half years ago.'

McGonagall gave a start and breathed in air through her teeth. 'How, without his main…'

'It appears that Harry had in the literal sense of the word grew a new one within a matter of hours after it was taken out.' McGonagall squealed when she heard this but covered her mouth quickly and nodded for the headmaster to continue. 'but for that first hours nobody knew how he survived. It is, as he told me last night, magic.'

'Whos that?' the slurry voice of Ms. Weasley said right next to McGonagall. She bent over to get a better look but winched at the pain her back produced.

'You should be in bed, Ginny.' Dumbledore announced.

'Heard you,' she said still slurry with her hair looking like a Giant trampled on, which it almost did 'talking. He looks bad.'

She bent over, this time with her hand supported on the side of Harry's bed and peered over. She looked over his body with a frown and then she looked at his face. The beard, the messy long black hair but when her eyes strayed over his scar she stiffened. she fell to the ground like a dead weight, clearly unconscious.

'Now this is unexpected.' Said the smooth voice of Severus Snape as he stepped over the fallen form of Ginny to look at Harry more closely.

Harry heard voices speaking softly, obviously trying not to disturb him but why wouldn't they want to disturb him? He didn't care after all. His mind was groggy, he felt like shite and worst of all he felt like he couldn't move. And indeed, when he tried to move his arms he couldn't. Harry started to panic, why couldn't he move. His eyes snapped open, searching his immediate vicinity to seek out anybody who wanted to attack, to harm him.

What he saw was Dumbledore and McGonagall standing at the foot of his bed, talking quietly. What he didn't like though was the wand of a greasy haired man pointing at Harry's throat. In a flash Harry focused on the kind of spell on him, he tried to break it, he must be able to, they wouldn't send him back, they couldn't. He had to get out, he didn't want to go back, and clearly they didn't want him here if they put him under a spell.

Snape saw his eyes darting around and jabbed his wand into his chest while motioning the other two that he was awake with a wave of his unused hand.

'Ah, Harry, wonderful to see you are awake.' Dumbledore said smiling.

Harry wasn't fooled for a second. Dumbledore didn't trust Harry anymore; they wanted to lock him up again. One part of his brain told him that it wasn't that bad, that he actually enjoyed the cave a bit but he, Harry, didn't like the idea. He would rather die than be locked up again.

'GET ME OUT!' he screamed, trying but to no avail to thrash about and break the spell on him. 'I WONT GO BACK!'

'Harry, calm down, we wont take you back…' Dumbledore said but Harry wouldn't have it. He tried with every ounce he had to break the enchantment but still it wouldn't budge. _DRASTIC MEASURES! _His mind screamed out. He had this part of him for a long time now, telling him what to do in a battle when his emotions got in the way, when it seemed hopeless to carry on fighting. It was like an instructor, a fellow combatant but of higher rank. It always knew what to do.

In the next instant Harry felt the change ripple through him, he could feel his limbs changing form, he could feel the dark yellow fur growing out of his skin, he could feel his muscles growing in size. He felt his senses heighten and the spell break. That was when he pounced, like a caged animal he jumped away from the three people. He landed in an attacking position, his whole body ready to pounce at any moment. He changed back from it when he saw their shock, they couldn't react fast enough and before they even tried to comprehend what has happened Harry raised his hands. He spoke quickly, to fast for them to hear what he was saying, and forced a bluish transparent barrier around them, locking them in instead of him.

'I WON'T GO BACK!' Harry roared 'I WILL NOT GO BACK THERE!'

'Harry, we had to make sure it was you.' Dumbledore said right after Harry finished 'You were dead for three years, how could it be you?'

'BULLSHIT!' Harry screamed. He was ready to jump out of the window and make an escape.

'Harry?' Someone right behind him said in a whimpering voice, she seemed weak judging by the frailty of her voice. She wouldn't require a lot to keep under control. Harry swung his left arm towards her again chanting so fast it came out a blur but it was there, and it was enough. She squealed in shock and fright but it didn't help her, she should have protected herself instead of wasting her time with fright. She clearly wasn't an experienced fighter. She too was now encased in a barrier meant to protect the caster but Harry forced it outward, around them so that he could move as he pleased.

'We don't want you dead. We want to hear your story' Dumbledore pressed again but Harry wouldn't have it. He slowly backed away, towards the window, freedom.

'Listen Harry! Please, don't do this, don't go away.' Dumbledore said again with hurt in his eyes and voice. Harry looked at him again, he wasn't trying to fool Harry, he was really saddened that Harry would try to run again. Snape then did the most stupid thing a person in his position could have done. Using Harry's distraction he lifted his wand and tried to break the barrier around them. Harry caught this and swerved his arm in around, sending the potions master flying, out of the barrier but Harry forced a new one around him. This time he wouldn't try anything. The barrier forced itself to mend to the shape of his body on the ground, stopping him dead with his arms around his back.

The person behind Harry squealed again but he paid her no attention.

'Harry, calm down, we just want to talk.' Dumbledore said again desperately. 'We want to hear your story.'

Harry eased off a bit but didn't lose his vigil. 'What do you want to talk about?' Harry took no small amount of solstice that he at least had the situation under control.

'We want to hear what happened to you? You are supposed to be dead. Tell us where you were the last three years.' Dumbledore tried again, desperate like a man who wants to be told that his firstborn is safe.

'Would you tell me why I'm supposed to be dead?' Harry said confused. They carry on like he should be a ghost or something.

'If you release me, I can show you.' He said softly. Harry looked at him but complied all the same. He shifted the wards from Professor Dumbledore, moving it to McGonagall.

'Harry, I meant all of us.' Dumbledore said patiently. 'We wouldn't harm you, we wouldn't send you back to wherever and please Harry, try to remember who you are talking to.'

Harry dropped his hand sending the barriers shimmering away like a fountain of sparks. He nodded at Dumbledore but then looked around him for the first time. He was in the hospital wing, how good he could remember this place. He looked at the woman right behind him and then it struck him.

'Ginny…' Harry breathed out, hardly believing it. There, right in front of him was Ginny Weasley, his best friend's sister and one of his own best friends. He looked her over, taking in her appearance. Her rumpled hair, her hospital nightclothes, her bruised arms, everything.

'Yes Harry, its me.' she said softly smiling at him. Her eyes glistered in the sunlight that penetrated the room, her hair waved softly in the wind that came through the open window, blinking in the sun. She didn't look pretty in that instance but Harry didn't care, he didn't envision this reunion but it was great. He crossed over to her in two long strides and took her into his arms. He clung to her for dear life. She was here, in his arms but most of all, she was alive. It was the only thing Harry had hoped for, for three years, that all of his friend would be alive and well when he returned. And so far it seemed so.

'Hows it goin?' he mumbled in her hair, not wanting to release her. The feeling it brought forth, hugging a best friend for the first time in three years… it was a gift, a gift greater than Harry had ever experienced. And Harry realized not for the first time in his life that maybe, just maybe, somebody or something is looking out for him.

'I'm fine Harry. A bit battered and bruised but fine. Do you have any idea how much we all missed you?' she said through her tears that coursed slowly down her eyes.

'Not as much as me.' Harry answered her. 'And Ron, Hermione how about them? And your family? Remus? Hagrid…'

'Don't worry Harry, we're all fine.' She said pulling away but Harry clung to her, not wanting to let go. She didn't seem to mind. 'Ron and Hermione came back three days ago, we're all together again.'

'Came back?' he mumbled softly. He seemed to have lost the power of easy second natured speech.

'They were in hiding under fidelius.' She replied finally releasing herself from Harry's enthusiastic hug. 'They have a son Harry. They had to protect him.'

Now this was news, 'they had a son! That's great!' Harry couldn't take anymore information in. so much had changed, so many things he weren't here to experience, he should have been there, congratulating them, giving his friends' son presents and gifts his parents wouldn't normally give him. He felt his eyes water but he wouldn't weep for the times he had lost. He can rather enjoy the things he had now. That is the only way he can truly carry on with his life. He can't dwell in dark pasts and sorrowful memories; he should live and be strong. Then he can enjoy his life.

'Come Harry, and we'll share our stories.' Dumbledore said friendly. Harry nodded at him and started to the door, still having hold of Ginny on her wrist.

'Harry…' she whined, pulling at his hand 'I'm in hospital clothes.'

Harry looked at her and nodded 'You're right. But I'm wearing the same.' He pulled her with him, towards the retreating back of a smiling Dumbledore. They earned no small amount of stares from the students, all the males however, staring mostly at Ginny or snickering at Harry's poor physique. They didn't recognize him but then again, who would. Ginny kept her head down, her cheeks a small tinge of pink, all the way muttering about Harry being barmy and round the bend.

When they arrived in Dumbledore's office Harry saw that nothing had changed, not even the Phoenix sitting on his perch. The only addition was the creature, who had come with Harry, lying on the ground at the phoenix's perch. When he saw Harry he jumped up and trotted over. Harry didn't know what the thing was with the animal but he patted him on the head all the same, hopefully Dumbledore will have some answers for him. They sat down and Harry waited for Dumbledore to start speaking but he didn't. He simply sat there in silence staring at Harry with the happiest expression Harry had ever seen the old man wear. He was just starting to think about telling Dumbledore that they should probably carry on but Ginny beat him to it.

'Uh, Professor…' she started

'Albus' he corrected 'Or Dumbledore if you prefer that.'

'Er, right. Shouldn't we start?' she finished

'We're waiting for the other two.' He finished and just when he was done talking the fireplace sprang to life, and out came Ron and then Hermione. _This day was never going to end._ Harry thought but it didn't matter. It was the best time in his life.

Before Harry knew what happened Hermione was on him like a tiger, holding him so tight it felt as if his lungs were going to burst. Harry didn't even have a chance to catch his breath when she let go of him before Ron latched himself onto Harry like a brain sucking zombie. He didn't let go for a long time. It was as if Ron had to make sure it was the real Harry, not an apparition of him.

'Oh goodness Harry.' He said to his once lost friend 'what the hell did you do? Do you have any idea?'

'I, uh, was buried in a cave right under Voldemort's feet for three years?' Harry told him only half joking.

'No you prick.' He said with tears brimming his eyes 'You put us through hell, that's what.'

Ron let go of Harry to sit down next to Hermione who was staring at him with an expression Harry didn't even want to begin interpret. Harry, the only one without a seat made swung his arm and made a chair of sorts summoned from water.

'What the hell…' Ron said as Harry sat down in the middle of his friends 'how'd you do that?'

'Magic Ron, magic.' Harry replied knowledgably. He didn't know what the big deal was. He had to survive in a cage with no wand and only the knowledge he gained from the books that Dumbledore gave him in the summer of his sixth year. Obviously he had to be able to do things like that if they even half expected it to be him in front of them so they really had no right to be shocked with some of the tings he can do. It's just like a businessman who can be trapped in the jungle for three years. He would learn those things in order to survive. He would still be a businessman with some extra attributed, right?

'I see Harry, that you have a much better grasp of magic since we last met.' Dumbledore told them all. Harry could only marvel at the man. Was every word he spoke prepared before hand? He basically, in that one sentence, told Ron, Hermione and Ginny what he, Harry, had thought about just moments before.

With that they began to exchange stories. Harry telling them of his underground escapades, his torture, without any detail, his battles fought with the damned creatures of Voldemort, his mole in Voldemort's lair, how he learned of magic and perfect fighting form in the sword, staff, dagger and axe from learning out of the enemies he fought against. His ability at Legilimency, not occlumency, no occlumency for Harry was the best method. A mental onslaught from another can only be truly defended by an attack from your side. As soon as the link is opened between minds it can go both ways. The key is to force it to the other side, just like Prior Incantatem. Dumbledore stopped Harry at this point.

'Did you try it with Voldemort?' he asked Harry intrigued.

'No, I figured that he thought I was dead so I only kept the link full of mindless thoughts. I think he thought it was lingering thoughts of his mind' Harry replied seriously. Voldemort couldn't know that he, Harry, was alive until he had a fair hand in the "game of cards".

'Harry,' Dumbledore said as he shifted his position a little 'how did you do it? Keep all of the magic you did going? I know that the magic you do require constant concentration. You are talking of sending magic through your blood stream to sustain your wounds until they healed naturally, keeping the link with Voldemort full of mindless thoughts, fighting and learning while you fight, while still be alone and not go insane in one day, let alone three years.'

'Do you know that your heart is beating?' Harry asked and without waiting for an answer carrying on 'do you constantly think of your heart beating, your eyes blinking, or filling your lungs with air? The same goes for this kind of magic. It takes time to make it second nature and damn me is it hard to think of all those things at one time but when you get used to it instinct adapts itself and it takes over the role of concentrating.' Harry thought for a while 'I can probably stop my heart from beating if I try hard enough you know.'

'Self discipline.' Ginny breathed out silently.

'What's that?' Ron asked who had remained silent for most of the time.

'That, Ron, is something Xilion tried to do since he was six years old.' Ginny explained it to him. 'Harry, do you have any idea what you can do with that?'

'Multitask.' Harry answered wisely and without thought 'That's what I did anyway. And how do you know Xilion.'

Harmione snorted, something Harry had positively never hear her do, and said 'who wouldn't know the Cordeurs? They did second most of all the fighting in Britain and they were the ones who started some sort of order full of martial art muggles. Like a strike team if you will. Quick but not so clean. Strong fighters except the only way they ever win a magical battle is to kill every body except if they surrender. Horribly brutal if you ask me but, there are worse.'

That was news to Harry but he continued his tale, telling them about everything, the elemental apparitions from his mole and his perfection of the art. To say they gawked was somewhat an understatement.

'Do you have any idea how hard it is for a normal wizard to summon one of those?' Dumbledore said breaking Harry's story far to soon again. Harry had never thought he would like retelling his own tale but here he is, enjoying every bit of it, a strictly outsider point of view of course. It was like he was retelling a brilliant story he had read.

'I don't care.' Harry told him. He didn't like them staring at his accomplishments when it was only normal for a human being to try and survive.

'In my dreams Harry, I always saw you coming back, broken and seeking help without any shred of life in you. Yet here you are telling us your story happily, stronger than you were before. You amaze me around every turn.' Dumbledore told him with a far away look on his face.

'Okay…' Harry said 'So basically after that I decided to leave and did so. I summoned an air elemental dug a hole into the ground and swam out of his fortress where I went to the nearest shore I could find, got shot in the leg trying to save slaves and then I think my magic stopped working or was gone or something because everything hurt like hell and I passed out but then there was this strange song…'

There, he heard it again. It's playing. Adrenaline started to pump through him like right before a fight. Motivation was one way to describe it but Harry preferred strength. It was almost like the phoenix song but this didn't comfort you, didn't give you a warm feeling in your heart. This gave you courage, it gave you the will to carry on, to never give up.

'There, you hear it?' Harry asked them.

'Yes Harry, we hear it and listen from where it is coming.' Dumbledore said with a small smile.

Harry listened, it sounded like it was inside of him but yet it came from his feet. Harry looked down and saw the Lion wolf like thing lying at his feet. It's pure white fur shining in the sunlight, the red streaks of fur coming from his eyes looking like tears of blood. The same red streaks that came from his head, all around his body until it came together at the tail. It was simply amazing. The rise and fall of the things chest going along with the song, purring sounds that came from his throat that change into some unearthly song that Harry is hearing.

'It's him.' Harry said softly, 'That thing is making the sound. What is it?'

'That Harry, is your familiar.' Dumbledore explained, 'they keep an eye out for you, protect you when you are in danger. You Harry summoned him when you were dying. Your mind created the attributes for this magnificent beast, you Harry will get some of his attributes or maybe you already have. I, like Fawkes can lift incredibly heavy things for example.'

Dumbledore took his giant oak desk and lifted it up, with only his left hand. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny simply stared, dumfounded. How can Dumbledore lift that thing, he is old and, well, old. He shouldn't be able to do that, not without magic.

'Blimey, how did you do that?' Ron exclaimed excitedly with wide eyes.

'As I said, each wizard can do certain things very few others can do. My tears can heal, I can lift heavy weights and so forth. Harry can sustain wounds for months on end until it heals naturally and guess what we found inside Harry's wounds yesterday? Saliva of Harry's familiar.' Dumbledore said indicating with a nod to the creature at Harry's feet that purred in recognition. 'So Harry, what will you call him?'

'Wait wait wait.' Harry stopped Dumbledore, confused 'What do you mean to say, that I have a familiar I summoned, I can do things other people can't because of that and he will be my pet or something until I die which means I should give it a name?'

'That about sums it up.' Hermione told him. Apparently she had read about them sometime or another. 'They have attributes of all the type of animal they are. Fawkes has a bit of every bird there is so in essence they are the elite of all animals, like the animal kings so to speak.'

'I'll think of one later.' Harry said after a while. He looked at the animal for confirmation who simply nodded his head in recognition. 'Doesn't seem to lively for me.'

'He has nothing to be lively about for now.' Dumbledore explained. 'Carry on with your story.'

'I'm finished. Well the gist of it anyway.' Harry said, 'say, why were you so shocked when you saw me the other day, except for the fact that it was the first time in a few years.'

'I Harry, have your main artery in my office along with your wand.' Dumbledore said simply. 'Voldemort sent it a month after you were gone.'

'Impossible, I mean I have one don't I?' Harry said touching his Adam's apple, feeling around. What he felt was the thin line of a scar running from his chin to below his chest. If indeed they took out his main artery they surely cut out a lot more than was needed. How needy of them, wanting to give Harry pain for their own pleasure. That's probably why Voldemort threw him in the cave to start with. He thought Harry would die there, in the cave where no one will ever find his body.

'It seems so, yes' Dumbledore said 'I will not however try to unravel the mystery since you don't even know it was gone for a while. You made a new one apparently.'

'Oookay.' Harry said still a bit uncomfortable. There were so much things he needed to know, so many things that seemed a mystery. 'Tell me what happened since I was gone.'

There was a long uncomfortable silence where everybody just looked at on another, nobody were willing to start. In the end Ginny took initiative and started talking.

'When you were gone it was terrible. Nobody knew what really happened at that time. You were gone, Voldemort disappeared, everyday we received something of you, a nail, a toe, Harry everyday until Voldemort sent us you artery along with your wand.'

'Everything seemed hopeless. School was like hell, the whole order panicked because Dumbledore told them the prophesy about you. We were ready to give up, in fact some of us did. I gave up. What was the use to carry on if the end was inevitable? The only ones who still carried on were the few people who had something to carry on for. Do you have any idea how that felt, the hopeless useless feeling? Do you?' she cried softly

Harry indeed had possibly the best idea of how that felt. _Do you know how it feel to be alone in a cave without food, without people around you only the fucked up things Voldemort summoned from hell or something? Do you? _Harry asked her silently in his head. He didn't say it out loud, it seemed rude and he didn't want to be rude.

Ron took over 'Ginny was a hopeless case, we all were. Hermione and I lost ourselves in each other. That's the only thing I can say is what kept us going. Muggle death tolls climbed to about the same amount it would be in a world war. "Terrorist" groups reigned, bombing cities, destroying world structures. In fact there is a war going on in their world just as much as in ours only it's covert. The ordinary muggle wouldn't know about it, they think its crime. Voldemort started a muggle group who wreaked havoc. Other thugs saw their work and started their own groups until crime took over. South Africa got it the worst, with their racism problems and all. Their main city is the most dangerous place in the world to be in the muggle world.'

'Back to us. Ginny lost it sometime around the New Year and started to learn how to fight. Dumbledore taught her himself, she went to Xilion and asked for help. Damn, she fought about five huge battles in a week when she was seventh year.'

'Five!' Harry exclaimed astonished 'Really, there couldn't have been five battles a week, could there?'

'Harry, its not unusual if there is three a day.' Hermione said softly.

Harry didn't know what to say, three a day. Harry had a vague idea what the wanted to do when he came back but this interfered with most of it. _Shit._ His mind summed it up for him. He had such great plans. _And you will keep to them._ His mind said _You need all the cards you can get. They faired all right for three years, what more is a few months?'_

'Is it that bad, then?' Harry asked sadly. How the morals of a twisted man can interfere with the world until it escalated into a full-blown war against two sides is still something Harry had to grasp. He had a idea of what the first war was like from the stories people told him but this, this is so much more. The whole world will be changed either way after this war.

'Yeah.' Ron said sadly 'It was like trying to live in hell. Still is.'

'What is being done?' Harry asked of Dumbledore.

'We have a few plans in motion, most of them research but Voldemort wouldn't allow us the time to formulate a big one.' Dumbledore said, his voice becoming wheezy and tired. Ron couldn't seem to understand what was wrong because he had a bewildered expression on his face. In fact Hermione and Ginny seemed just as clueless.

He carried on as if nothing was wrong though. Harry started to put one and one together but he didn't say anything. 'Severus is working on a potion to make the Unlivables lose their tracking property.' At Harry's bewildered look he explained 'The spells Voldemort found, you know, the original form of unforgivables.'

'Oh yeah, I forgot about those.' Harry admitted sheepishly 'couldn't you just apparate a few feet away? How does it work?'

'We tried all of those things already.' Dumbledore continued 'nothing. At least there are only minor deaths of the death spell. It takes to long too cast in the heat of battle.'

'And?' Harry asked

'There isn't much more to say. A few researchers tried to make a broom with a wand core but the magic clashed and the whole thing blew up in the end. With more time they would probably try it again. Then there were people who tried to store magic, like a battery, but it was like trying to catch and store lightning. Lots of other things, most of them abandoned. Fred and George made a few handy things though. You can see them all later, if you want to that is.' Dumbledore finished, his shoulders sagging as though tired, small bags were appearing under his eyes.

'Do you still have my wand?' Harry asked him eagerly, wiling to let the matter drop for now but this just wouldn't do. War requires research and new things, things to gain the upper hand on the enemy but they had none of those.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and summoned a wooden box with a few pictures on the front. Some of natural scenes others simply strange carvings but when Dumbledore opened the box and Harry saw his wand he couldn't care less about any stupid box. His wand practically glowed in anticipation.

It sent a small stream of golden sparks out of the front, all the while vibrating like a dog who is waiting for his owner that should have been home a long while ago. Harry reached out and even before he could reach into the box his wand jumped out into his hand, a perfect grip.

It felt so good to have it in his hand again Harry momentarily forgot about the other people in the room. He performed a few harmless spells, transfigured some of Dumbledore's belongings and played some more. That is until Ginny cleared her throat laughing at him.

'You look like a boy who had very first toy in a long time.' She said to him lightly. Harry chuckled briefly until Dumbledore raised himself painfully slowly of off his chair.

'I believe you have a lot of catching up to do and I need my afternoon nap.' He said looking at Harry briefly 'Come to my office tomorrow at noon and we'll discuss things in further detail. And please, don't worry about the war and the world for once, enjoy yourselves as young people like you should be doing.'

Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood up after Harry and bid their goodbyes.

'Thank you professor.' Harry said after a while.

'For what Harry?' He asked with a genuine smile on his face.

'For believing in me.' Harry said 'That ward around the castle was to tell you if I came back, wasn't it?'

'Indeed it was.' He said to Harry 'But we should be thanking you for coming back.'

'Go take your nap professor. Don't forget to wash up when you wake up.' Harry told him while he rubbed his eyes under his glasses significantly.

Dumbledore nodded slightly and turned to leave, motioning Fawkes to come with him. The bird spread it's wings and floated onto the old man's shoulder, both of them disappearing further into the office of Albus Dumbledore. Not for the first time, Harry wondered what lies deeper into the barmy old codger's living area.

Harry quickly transfigured his and Ginny's clothes into something more presentable and pulled his cloak over his head, casting his facial features into darkness. No one would probably recognize him because of his beard and so but one could never be to sure.

'Why the hood Harry?' Ron asked as they left the office and stepped onto the revolving stairs.

'No one knows I'm alive and I intend to keep it that way for a while.' He replied 'Who did Dumbledore tell anyway?'

'Only Snape and McGonagall.' Ginny said 'By the way, where is James?'

'Who's James?' Harry asked bewildered looking at Ron.

'We have a lot to tell you Harry, but James is our son.' He said proudly swinging an arm around Hermione's middle 'and he's at mum and dads.'

Harry almost passed out from the shock that statement brought him. They had a son; his two best friends had a son, together. He wasn't even there to take part in the joy of a newborn child. So many things have happened and he, Harry, wasn't there to witness it. He was in some lonely cave somewhere nobody knew about fighting monsters and struggling to stay alive for any moment of time. Again he cursed himself for not trying to break free as soon as he regained conscience back when he was still ignorant of the horrors of the world, the simple cruelty of the beasts Voldemort resurrected from the dead. But that was something he didn't do, something he wouldn't do if he got the chance again. As morbid as it sounds, he would stay there again if he were forced to.

Sometimes one has to do things what you don't always want to do. He didn't want to stay there, he wanted to be free, to be with his friends but he stayed. He learnt a lot of things from his time spent in the cave, not to mention the magic he learnt.

'Come on Harry, we're going to celebrate.' Ginny announced proudly and added with a glance to Hermione 'We are _all_ going to celebrate. To the Three Broomsticks.'

The beast trotted alongside them, every now and again rubbing against Harry's thigh all the while purring his deep purr. When they exited the castle Harry saw Hagrid playing with Osiris and Hedwig, laughing and jumping around like a small kid.

'Where the bloody hell did Hagrid get a dragon?' Ron asked unbelievingly looking with wide eyes towards the playing figures that had attracted the attention of some students and other people living in Hogwarts.

'That will be me.' Harry said laughing at Ron's horror stricken face. 'That is none other than Osiris. I think he broke free of his enchantment or whatever to come and save me.'

'I told you he could break free of whatever thing was on him.' Hermione said with a smile towards him.

Harry thought for a while and then said, remembering that great day, 'I guess you're right Hermione, I guess you're right.'

'Dance with me Harry.' A very drunk and _very_ jovial Ginny said to Harry later that evening. It was rounding eleven o' clock and the place they found themselves in was still as crowded as it was before, like Diagon alley on a busy day. Hermione and Ron seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as to be expected from Hermione. They had their few drinks and dances, they had their bouts of affection but all in all they were tame as a puppy compared to Ginny. She was the one to recommend this bar, club thing for them after a few stronger alcohol drinks at the three broomsticks. Harry had a few for himself and at that time he enjoyed himself immensely so he was all for it but now, after a few shooters as the muggles call it he didn't feel so well at all.

He felt alien, as if he wasn't inside of his own body. He felt like a spectator to his own actions and it pissed him off completely to be so out of control. Not to mention the nausea that went with the drunkenness, the slow and wobbly actions of his body, everything off his body seemed to go slowly and stiffly. To slowly considering that everyone else was still on normal speed.

What people found in alcohol Harry didn't know but he didn't like how he was feeling now. In the three Broomsticks he felt fine, lightheaded sure, but fine. There's one thing to call it, tipsy. The stage just between drunkenness and sober. Harry decided there and then that he wouldn't drink much more in the future than to get him at that stage.

'C'mon Harry.' Ginny pulled on his arm. He swayed a little but eventually followed her to the dance floor. Normally he wouldn't like to dance, then again he wouldn't even be so flirtatious to Ginny, not even to mention that she was on to him like a feline predator.

If Harry didn't know any better he would probably think she was stalking him in the literal sense of the word. Around every other turn she would pounce out from somewhere he didn't suspect, other times she would sneak up to him behind crowds of people just for the sake of scaring him. If only she knew what happened to Harry every time she did it.

He would be walking towards the bar, thinking pleasant thoughts and savoring the great time he was having when she would pop up from behind, scaring him to death. Each and every time she did that he would react instantly, his right hand on his Initiative, his left hand in front of him for protection. Almost immediately after he realized that it was only Ginny a flash of thought would penetrate his mind. A hollow face sometimes, with eyes that seemed to be burned up but you knew it could still see. Those eyes, always different, are enough to send any normal human being into a crazed frenzy of fright mingled with sadness. Sadness for the person that used to be, sadness for the person's decision to let evil consume him so completely that he isn't human anymore. But the fright is the worst.

Like a Dementor, only thousand fold worse. Despair and hollowness will fill your whole body, penetrating your heart and soul like an icy cold arrow from a trained archer. Something about _them_ is just wrong. Their evil pouring off of them like black smoke of a fire, filling you with the most terrible fright anyone can ever experience. How could any normal human compare to those things? He sure as hell couldn't.

Every time it was the same, over and over again. Every time he was reduced to a scared little boy who knew nothing but the source of his fear.

First he would cower in a corner far away from them, not even daring to look at them. It was too terrible. Then at last when they were on him he would open his eyes so scared of what he would see that he wished he were rather dead. If only he had the power to die at those times Harry would have been dead a thousand times over. Then he would scream out, his fear pouring out of his mouth in a last attempt to drown them all out, to stop them from existing. Even if it was only in his mind.

Zombies he could handle without batting an eye, vampires doesn't stand a chance heck even ghosts that can actually harm you is a laughing matter for Harry. Only _them_, as Harry called it, was impossible to handle.

_They _would throw him around like a doll for their own pleasure. Then they would hurt him, even torture him until he was an inch before his sweet and too long awaited death. But they would sense it, they would sense that he wanted to die, and stop. Then they would conjure up chairs made of ice and sit around a table, with him at the head, not talking once, only staring. For hours on end they would toy with him, repeating the whole thing over again. The morbid cycle.

Until that song, that battle cry would burst through to him, filling him with a will to carry on. Filling him with renewed vigor to carry on. That was his paradise, the beauty of a small shred of hope between all the darkness that consumed him all over. Then he would dispel them, how he didn't know, it just came to him and then disappear as soon as they were gone. His memory wiped completely as if someone didn't want him to know the way to make them disappear until it was absolutely necessary.

'Come on Harry, stay with me here!' Ginny laughed at him. Harry was unaware that they were already on the dance floor and he stood there like some idiot thinking about the past. Somewhere inside of his mind he thought about what he would have looked like, standing on the dance floor with a faraway look on his face.

Harry shook his head to clear the cobwebs that had formed in the past five minutes but regretted it almost as soon as he had done it. Instantly nausea took over but he suppressed it. He will enjoy his time as long as he could. He grabbed Ginny around the waist and swung her around…

'Come on, let's get some air.' She said after a while. They passed Ron and Hermione who was rather preoccupied at that moment with each other and left the place. The sound was remarkably softer on the outside. The sweet sound of silence enveloping him, covering him like a warm blanket.

'I just thought of something.' Harry told her, she looked at him through her half closed eyes.

'What's that?' she asked, swaying slightly. Harry took hold of her; she seemed as drunk as one could get out of such a small body like hers.

'I don't have a home.' He said smiling at the irony of it. Once an orphan, always an orphan. 'Come to think of it I don't have a penny on my name at this moment. Not one belonging. Strange isn't it. I'm free but I have nothing.'

'Rather morbid if you ask me.' Some or other man next to them said gruffly.

'You still have us Harry, we have everything that came from you.' Ginny said as if she didn't hear the man.

'Don't worry about me.' Harry told her, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't ask questions.

'Why?' Damn. What now?

'I have plans.' He told her again hoping not to have a question in return. He didn't want to spill his beans, his years of planning, in one drunken night. He didn't know if he could hold the truth in. He was so eager to share it but he couldn't, he mustn't.

'What plans?' she asked but Harry was saved to answer again by the man next to them holding out his hand, pointed right at Ginny's face. Then he noticed the man had a gun right against her head and he felt the cold tip of a knife at his throat.

'What do you want?' Harry asked without a hint of sarcasm or fright in his voice. Best to avoid a bad situation if one could.

'We want money, and jewels and… her.' The man with the knife told him roughly, 'now cough up buddy and leave before you die.'

Harry idly wondered why they had a gun to Ginny's head but only a knife to his throat but then he realized that he probably look like he was going to fall over his own feet anyway. He looked weak, even to a muggle mugger and Harry laughed. He laughed a like a mad man, not caring about the men, not caring about the world in that moment. They saw him weak. And he was weak but they clearly underestimated him. Still he laughed at the irony of things. He, Harry just wouldn't ever be free of some sort of harassment or something usual people goes to psychologists about. It all seemed so trivial in comparison. He was marked by one scar to suffer a world of hell around every turn. It all just seems so strange, and he didn't know what to do with that feeling so he laughed.

'Come on, really?' Harry laughed them off 'I have nothing; didn't you here me talking? And she doesn't wear jewelry, do you Gin?'

'Not really no.' She said wearily. Harry was acting to strange for her liking. At least she seemed sober now.

'And,' Harry continued 'you can't have her cause that's her decision. Don't you honor a lady's decision?'

Before they could respond Harry had their weapons in his hands, the gun pointed at the bigger of the two while he played with the knife in left hand, idly twirling between his fingers.

'We don't want anybody to get hurt on such a lovely evening, now do we?' Harry asked throwing back their weapons. Ginny gasped at his stupid move, her hand moving towards her wand.

The men struck at the same moment, the man with the gun firing off a shot and the man with the knife lunging forward. What happened next none of them could explain. The gun backfired, sending debris and metal shards into the man's face, into his eyes. The other man didn't notice anything astray until he was almost in the peak of his strike. The knife's blade and handle changed positions, as well as the momentum. His grip was so strong and the force of the movement that he couldn't leave the knife in time. His thumb and forefinger was cut right to the bone, hanging on the remaining skin. He yelled in time with the other man, both of them falling to the ground. Not one of them dead. One of them blind and the other without a thumb and fore finger but at least not dead. That which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?

Harry turned around and walked away, pulling Ginny with him.

'Why did you do that?' she asked of him with a placid face. She was open for explanation.

'I gave them a second chance at their choice even though they didn't give us a choice in the first place.' He told her softly

'What?'

'Think about it Ginny, think about it.' He told her when they entered the bar to find Ron and Hermione.

'Thanks goodness.' Hermione said from behind them 'Look, if you don't mind…'

'Hermione and I want to go home.' Ron finished for her. 'It's two thirty in the morning anyway. You sleeping at our house Harry?'

'No thank you.' He replied 'I'll go to Hogwarts if you don't mind, have to be up early. Some things I have to ask Dumbledore, other things I have to sort out and such.'

'Come on Harry, we can go there early tomorrow.' Ron said desperately. Harry just shook his head sadly, he had plans. And he had to stick to them.

'Just tell us when okay.' Hermione said with a tear in her eye 'we want to be with you, we missed you so much.' She flung her arms around his shoulders, crying onto his shirt.

'Don't leave us Harry, please don't leave us.' Ginny pleaded of him. Don't they understand? He needed his solitary, he needed silence. He craved it but it broke his heart to see his friends like this. They clearly thought that he didn't want to spend the night with them. What must they think of him now? He wanted to be with them now more than ever but he simply couldn't. It was too much for him. His ears were falling apart, his heart and soul drowning in the noise of people around him. He needed silence.

'I'll wake you up personally tomorrow morning all right.' Harry told them, 'I'm not going anywhere.'

Finally they accepted his offer and bode him teary goodbyes, Ron and Hermione Apparating away from an alleyway and Ginny following them shortly after. Harry couldn't Apparate so he walked down the deserted road that led in the general direction of Hogwarts. It was a good few hours of walking to do but he didn't complain.

Harry heard a swishing sound and saw his familiar walking next to him.

'Were you here all the time?' Harry asked his new pet 'waiting for me?'

It only purred in reply, walking at Harry's pace, swishing his tail right to left in rhythm to his steps. Harry placed a hand on his familiar's head and walked on like that, until he reached his destination, not Hogwarts but somewhere not too far from it…

'Ginny.' Harry gently prodded her shoulder. She stirred but didn't wake up so he tried again, with the same results. How can one sleep like this? It's five thirty already and still she's asleep. The sun is about to rise and she was going to miss it, a wonder of the world. She was going to miss one of the most beautiful happenings in the world, yet it happens every day.

'Ginny!' Harry screamed in her ear. That showed some results. She jerked awake, sitting up straight so fast that Harry thought she would topple straight over and fall of the foot side of her bed.

'Whaat!' She yelped, looking around franticly. Clearly she wasn't used to being woken up by someone else at the crack of dawn.

'Ginny, wake up. The sun's about to rise.' Harry told her happily, positively bouncing on the spot. He'd been looking forward to this day for a very long time. She finally focused on him and her eyes widened for a moment, showing disbelief but then it changed to recognition and finally a huge smile spread over her face.

'Harry.' she mumbled, smiling happily.

'Come on, your going to miss the sunrise.' He told her, still looking every bit like a fourth year student going to the Quidditch world cup.

'And?' she asked. 'It happens every day.'

'When was the last time you saw it?' he retorted. 'Come on, up up, were going to see the sunrise.'

'Aren't you hung over?' she asked, putting her head in her hands, clearly not feeling well. If he actually thought about it he did feel like shite. His head hurt, he felt weak, and everything he heard was to loud.

'Didn't even notice.' He grinned sheepishly, pulling her by her arm. Finally she stood up and followed him climbing out of bed. He didn't even look back, heading straight for the door.

'Harry,' she called from the doorway to her bedroom 'where are you going? You can see it from here.'

He turned around as if it was his plan all along and walked passed her, noticing for the first time what she was wearing…

'Where?' he asked looking around her room. Her open dresser, her messy room with clothes scattered all over, her walk in bathroom looking in the same condition as her room.

She pulled her wand from the strap on her top she was wearing and opened the curtains, unveiling a beautiful site that Harry had yearned for every day for the better part of three years.

Ten minutes later he turned around feeling content as one could get, seeing Ginny looking at him as she sat on her bed with a smile on her face. It is the small things in life that counts. He had promised himself he would enjoy it and it was the best promise he had ever made in his life.

'Happy now?' she asked standing up shaking her hair out like a lion taming it's mane. 'Come on, I'll make us breakfast.'

'Uh, Ginny, not to be rude but shouldn't you get dressed or something?' he asked indicating with his hand to her figure clad in only a tank top and knickers. She looked down at herself realizing that she probably was a bit undressed to be in the vicinity of a man who was stuck in a cave for three years.

'You do realize that the clothes you're wearing doesn't cover too much of yourself, don't you?' she laughed at him. 'Wear my robe. We'll have to get you some clothes.'

She grabbed one of her robes from the hanger at the door and pulled it on, tossing another one to him. What's the big deal; there is absolutely nothing wrong with hospital clothes. Sure, they're a bit scratchy in places he'd rather not be scratchy but other than that their fine for him. And besides, it's not as if he's going to be out in public any time soon. He at least had some decency.

But now that he think about it, clothes does matter. No matter if he was alone, a healthy man wears healthy clothes. _Great, a new motto._ A part of his mind summed up sarcastically, the uncooperative side of his mind, the rebellious side that he always ignored. He would get himself some clothes.

'I'm not going to make it all by myself.' Ginny's voice brought a stop to his useless pondering.

Harry walked with her to the kitchen and started on the toast, the only thing he knew how to make with magic. Ginny started on the eggs and bacon, chucking it all into one frying pan, clearly not bothered if it got all mixed up. Next she put it onto a flame she conjured and stood back a step.

'Uh, Ginny, I don't think that's going to work…' Harry trailed off.

'Sure it is. I do it all the time.' She answered knowingly that strongly reminded Harry of Hermione right before she is about to do something foolish but just too proud to admit it. By now Harry could smell the egg burning at the bottom and he decided he would do it for her. He took the whole concoction inedible food and pulled out his wand.

'What are you doing.' She accused him.

'The food is about to burn.' He turned over the pan onto a plate, showing her the black egg at the bottom. 'I have never done this before…' she mumbled to herself.

'Split the eggs and bacon.' He mused, doing just that with his wand

'Place in pan, _separately,_ on moderate to low heat and wait three minutes at longest then turn. Not to hard.' He smirked at her as she stood back with a mad look in her eyes.

'Were did you learn that?' she asked 'I mean, it sounded like you were reading a manual.'

'Technically, I am.' He said, thinking back at the learning spell, 'Dumbledore gave me this trunk full of books in sixth year. Some of them were quite strange. About cooking, plumbing, even how to make clothes. I thought my eyes would pop out when there was a book full of ways to make comfortable magical toilets.'

'And you learnt all of them by heart?' she questioned, accusing him of lying.

'Indeed I have, want to test me?' he asked playfully. How he missed this. The sheer act of talking, making conversation with friends. If only Ron and Hermione could be here but those damn wards would have taken three hours at least to break through. Overprotected.

_If you think about it you would have done the same. Your parents did it._ His logical part of his mind summed up, constantly fighting with the rest.

'What do you do if you want to make a dress?' she questioned.

'Put all the material into the form you want them, and say the spell. Shall I show you?' he asked but Ginny's cottage suddenly flared with bright light.

'SHIT!' Ginny shouted, 'An attack within three miles from here.'

Harry stared at her.

'What would they be attacking a tree trunk for?' Harry asked confused.

'Not my house you idiot, somewhere near here. Must be the muggle weapons factory.' She grabbed a gun from the shelf, which looked very much like his own one, and her wand, 'Now mister hero, you can show me how to fight.'

Suddenly Harry felt like he was plunged into the river underneath the cave. The cold chills that ran down his spine didn't stop, they went to his toes, fingers and every other part of his body. _Concentrate!_ His mind ordered.

He transfigured the clothes he had on into simple clothes, with a hood that cast permanent shadow into Harry's face, and bolted after Ginny. Right out the small forest that was Ginny's house in a manner of speaking and straight into battle. Harry stopped short when a thought struck him.

How could he kill a man now? They are human, it's wrong to kill a human; it's not for him to decide who must live. Even if they are out here to kill all in their path, they don't know. He to was once like that. Killing like it was something one did every day. But that was before. Now he, Harry, couldn't take a life. The things in the cave didn't deserve to live, to be on earth but humans, all humans have a right. Those monsters taught him some things.

They didn't have family, not feelings, not a life. What should he do now? They were going to start the killing any time now. Ginny was almost there, from what Harry heard she didn't hesitate twice to kill.

As he watched she raised her gun, his gun, but before she could fire Harry intervened. She couldn't dirty her hand by taking another life, not any more. Killing. It made Harry nauseated, it sickened him to the deep pits of his stomach just thinking about it. How could anyone want to take a life?

_That's what this whole war's about idiot!_ His mind berated him. He wouldn't budge, not now, it was his plan to carry out and he wouldn't stop at nothing to do it. Only a year after he was captive he decided and he planned…

As he watched Ginny fired the shot, not caring for his call to stop. Harry did the fastest spell work he could think of, pulling his Initiative and throwing it with the most force Harry could muster, magic and physical, sending the dagger zooming past Ginny to fast for her to see, to fast for most people to think.

It struck next to the man's head, lodged so deep into a tree the hilt was halfway through but at least the bullet didn't hit. The tree exploded a second later.

'What the fuck?' he breathed. Was that the bullet, was that the thing Ginny wanted inside of a human being. Did she want him to blow up from the inside, sending everything of him flying. Splitting all the parts that gave him life into all directions? Tearing his body to nothing but debris?

She gave him a dark look, one that clearly told him that wasn't right and raised her gun to fire another shot. He couldn't take it.

His Initiative was back in his hand and the magic spread through him like a tidal wave from the ocean. He wouldn't allow anybody to take a life here, today, while he could prevent it. He started to move, first to Ginny, melting the gun as he passed her, using the magic inside of the bullets rather for protection and using the molten metal of the gun to create a sphere of protection for her. A perfect ward within five seconds. The metal holding the magic together and the magic sustaining the molten metal sheet around her.

He pulled his wand and summoned his Familiar (who rather liked to be called Scryed). It started, the sound, the song and the rhythmic pulse of power. Harry used the distraction of the enemy and grew roots from the earth, entwining three of them so much so that the only thing they could do was breath and blink.

Then spells reigned.

From every direction it fell, from every possible angle one could imagine. For the first time in a few years Harry didn't know what to do. He couldn't kill, his spell work is shabby at best and he wouldn't run. These people didn't belong here, they were here to wreak havoc and take out some sort of supply place to give Voldemort another ace up his sleeve.

Harry realized at that moment the complete irony of things. In the middle of spell fire he realized the complete futility of it all. He had planned to start his home, his little paradise without any killing or death, without despair but all his planning, every last bit of it was useless. This is simply the way the world is and he, Harry, couldn't do swat to change it like he wanted to. He can contribute to the light but he can't change the way things are.

_Screw it all!_

And then he fought back with all of his might. He fought exactly like he was back in the cave, he fought to survive and to eradicate everything that was in his way.

It took only a second for him to rid the spells around him, those still coming towards him were minor. Stupid people. What did they think could a spitting charm do to him? Scryed chose that moment to pounce out of nothing, into the heat of battle. He gave a huge roar that sent four Death-Eaters running away and Harry had to admit they were the brave ones. A roar like that, tenfold as mighty as a dragon's roar, would send everyone running except the utterly stupid. The few that remained though, fought like demons.

Harry must give it to them, they were good fighters. Never once had they backed down, they fended off Scryed like true warriors, they defended themselves against Harry's endless stream of magic and to top it all off they anticipated where Ginny was aiming and apparated away right before the bullet could make impact. The battle was already won.

It was a simple matter of wearing them down, they had to slip up some time or another. They weren't like Harry, who had learnt to fight for long periods of time at once. Harry's eyes were sharp, marking every repetitive move they made so that he could slip through their defenses and take them down.

'Bellatrix!' One of them screamed, 'We're not making any ground like this!'

'Do NOT loose faith Draco.' A man said who was right next to the initial speaker, 'They cannot go on as long as we can…'

A burst of laughter escaped Harry's thought.

'Is it really you Draco?' Harry yelled over the battlefield. At once the fighting stopped. The five of them that were still standing stepped closer together while Scryed went to stand next to Ginny, who had disabled her protection wards a while ago to enable her to fight.

'I am Draco Malfoy, yes.' He said, stepping slightly foreword.

'Wonderful, simply splendid!' Harry said with glee, his face lighting up. The battle completely forgotten, the internal struggles of his crazy mind drifting away in a brain like a mixed up cauldron that would make Severus Snape commit suicide.

He didn't care if they thought him a bit crazy. His mind worked in mysterious ways.

'Still into the dark arts?' Harry questioned, placing his wand back into his pocket. The people present, good and bad, simply stared at the complete absurdity of this man.

'What do you want?' Draco queried wearily. The other Death-Eaters around him started to mutter in hushed tones, one of them indicating wildly with his hand.

'Just making conversation.'

'Who are you?' Draco talked with what he hoped was authority, 'Speak now and leave, we will not kill you or pursue you.'

'Stop being such a bastard.' Harry laughed happily like a drunken man, 'oh shit…'

Nobody's supposed to know that he was alive and here he is, trading, or at least trying to, stories with and old nemesis of his school.

'You can still leave.' Draco said firmly, indicating to the people around him to stand in position.

'I'll leave if you do.' Harry said smiling, albeit not so happy anymore.

If Harry wasn't crazy then Ginny will happily submerge herself into a lake full of orange-coated minxes. What is he playing at, talking like that? He's completely gone round the bend. He's a raving lunatic. One moment he's almost crying, the next talking happily to one of Voldemort's top men and now he's challenging Draco to leave.

'We have business here that doesn't concern you.' Draco said, his voice not wavering a bit. She had to admit, Draco would make a fine public speaker.

'As do I.' Harry declared, 'Seems to me we're at a stale mate.'

'If it is your wish, then indeed we are.' Draco raised his wand, the four others doing the same. Ginny raised her gun and her wand while Scryed crouched down like a stalking predator. Harry didn't move one bit.

'Carry on.' Harry declared, his shoulders high and his chest puffed out just a bit, his face still hidden underneath the hood. Nobody would have noticed his small frame in that stance of assured power that rolled off of him. That was the stance of a man who knows the finer working of life with vast amounts of wisdom and courage. Size in that instance didn't matter one bit.

They fired, Draco striking last with something Ginny hadn't heard in a long time. The dreaded Heart Shattering Curse. Already Ginny felt her knees go sloppy. Her heart rate increased to that of the drumming sounds coming from Scryed. Harry will die. Nothing compares to that curse, nobody ever survived that curse, ever. If it was directed at you, _you will die_. Tears started to fall from Ginny's eyes. How could he come back and go again, forever this time.

Harry too recognized the spell as well but one look into his eyes, eyes so alight with power and strength that one would feel burned just being looked at, convinced Ginny that maybe, just maybe, he could survive. After all, it is Harry and Harry can do anything, right? Harry was a hero, and heroes could do anything but as the black coils of death reached Harry and she saw tears of blood already falling from his eyes she lost all hope. She didn't notice his arm as it was raised looking like a plea of mercy and if she did she would have seen the open hand changing into a fist. The only thing she heard was the cry of anguish breaking through the early morning air, the sun hiding behind a dark cloud, hiding from the cry that wouldn't die down. Her eyes were closed, she was going to wake up in the hospital wing and Harry hadn't come back, it was all a dream.

She couldn't stand to live through Harry dying a second time, she would take her own life rather than live with that. The music of Harry's Familiar became so intense that Ginny thought her ears would burst. She cursed that animal to hell. With him making his music like one glorious victory over the dark, what right does he have? A roar from the beast like the start of the battle came again and it shattered Ginny's heart this time, rather than strengthen her. Harry had absolutely no right to go at a time like this. Coming back only to be taken away again…

(A/N : We just want to thank everyone that reviewed, it really means a lot and really inspires us to write. This is a longer than usual chapter and we hope everyone enjoys it. We just want say thank you to Matt and Mark(in no particular order) for all the beta-reading they have been doing for us, We want to welcome our Schnoogle Beta-reader, Michelle, to the team aswell. Please leave us a review when you are finished reading this chapter and tell us what you think! Cheers Nex-Nift)


	11. Fiery Hot Phoenix

Chapter 11 – Fiery hot Phoenix. 

****

'COME ON HARRY, STAY WITH US!' Ron shouted as he hauled Harry onto the shabby bed in the surgery, that wasn't used in Hogwarts since the time of the founders and magical healing was terrible at best.

When Ginny had franticly beaten their wards around his and Hermione's house, making a rumpus to wake the dead, Ron immediately knew something was wrong. He grabbed a cloak and set out to find Ginny, hysterically screaming like a banshee. Hermione came out soon after, forcing a calming draught down Ginny's throat waiting patiently as Ginny told them what had happened.

The story she told was completely absurd to say the least. Like Harry waking Ginny at the crack of dawn to see the sunset then getting into a fight with Voldemort's top Strike Team and afterwards acting completely barmy. Then he seemed to regain his bearings and challenged Draco. What Ginny told them next gave Ron a good laugh until Ginny cursed him with a hex generally not used on the male society. She told them that Harry was at the receiving end of the Heart Shattering Curse and survived, she didn't know how but he didn't bleed blood out of every pore of his body, only his eyes. Strangely enough Draco was found dead by Ginny after Harry's Familiar killed the rest with what Ginny explained as a "beam of magical light".

Harry though, was hardly living. It looked, and still does as if he was so sad that he cried tears of blood, only now they were beginning to harden and crust, giving him a look like a demon. They went right after Ginny's tale and found Harry sitting up, staring in front of him with an expression of pain that was unmasked and complete. The look of utter anguish spread over his face as he clutched his chest with one hand, the other resting on his Familiar's head that lay next to him, howling softly. The sadness of that sight stopped them short, except for Ginny who had already countered the effects of the weak calming draught Hermione had given her.

But when Harry started to scream and weep at the same time Ron sprang into action, running full tilt towards his friend that was shedding tears of blood, creating small rivers that flowed freely down his face, falling softly onto the green grass. Ron had picked him up with pure adrenaline and grabbed the portkey that Hermione had given him but before they could activate the thing Harry spoke through his tears and pain,

"Take it away, take it away…" he cried as his voice died out trying to finish his sentence.

What the hell he wanted gone Ron didn't know but he didn't care. He would take Harry to the best healer in the world and where that was he didn't know but he didn't care, the only thing that went through his mind at that moment was to get Harry somewhere that he could have treatment and that was Hogwarts.

Dumbledore handled the situation as one would expect from him, calm and collected, that was until Madam Pomphrey told them what needed to be done in order to save Harry. As their luck would have it the only spell and magic that could work on a heart injury of this scale must be performed directly on the heart and she didn't have a clue how to perform any one of the spells.

Dumbledore immediately summoned all of his ancient friends, who had expertise in this field, who came as soon as possible. Even three of the best muggle surgeons showed up after Dumbledore grabbed them by hand and apparated away, one of them was Chris Barnard. The story behind this man was quite remarkable.

He was the first person, magical and muggle, who had successfully transplanted a heart with only muggle methods in the 1970's. Also, he was allegedly confirmed dead by muggle doctors but in reality, wizards all over the world had persuaded him to live with them and help them with heart research.

A rough hand on his shoulder brought Ron back to the present.

'Come on sonny, let's get some work done.' One of Dumbledore's old friends told him with a smile, 'He'll be fine.'

Ron nodded and quickly walked the halls of Hogwarts until he got none other than Severus Snape with his whole trolley full of potions. They went back to the room and then the spells started.

Each and every wizard Dumbledore called chanted as one, bringing up a strange manifestation that seemed to hold no purpose what so ever. That is when Harry really started to show his pain. He screamed out of his hoarse throat, coughing up blood all the time. His voice carried throughout the whole room, louder than anything else. The enchantment of the old wizards couldn't even be heard above Harry's wailing. Snape poured potion after potion down Harry's throat, Madam Pomphrey cast spell after spell on Harry from her place next to his bed and the muggle surgeons started to cut Harry open.

Once the manifestation was in place, poised right above Harry, and Harry's heart exposed for the world to see they started the real work. Most of the people in the room couldn't even get near Harry, let alone work on him but still it all worked out. One of them would get a place open next to Harry's bed and perform his spells, mostly dark magic removal spells. Only the coils of the spell, which everybody once thought was only the tracking portion of the spell, did so much damage to Harry's heart and body that it seemed useless to carry on. Transplanting the thing was mentioned but dismissed as soon as it was brought up. Harry's heart was… unique. The whole way his body was rigged up in that area was completely different from any other human being.

That was as much as Ron could see because at that moment Dumbledore told them to leave the room. As Ron cast one last look through the chaos he saw Harry's face, his eyes.

His eyes were open, looking directly at him, pleading for him to stop the pain, to stop the people that caused him only more pain. His green eyes were shining brightly in the moonlight of the room, a tear, and normal this time, falling from his eyes followed by another one shortly after.

Harry raised his hand slowly with so much effort that Ron thought only that could cause him death. His hand was pleading with Ron to stop it all and for a moment Ron thought he would do just that. Stop Harry's pain and send him to the peace he yearned for and if Ron had to be honest, deserved more than any other human being. When Harry saw Ron's look, he did something Ron wouldn't have thought possible.

Harry smiled. A sad, morbid smile but the gesture was there all the same. _Thanks Ron, but I'll hang on just a bit longer._

Ron was touched that instant by the courage and strength his friend shows to others in his own moment of greatest peril, even if they are struggling with something small. He walked out of that room feeling numb. Everything felt strange, his own body felt alien and he vowed to do all in his power to help Harry retain a normal life for once.

It's been seven days since Harry's injury and nothing changed about his condition after his surgery. They said it would take time, they said the residual magic would take its toll but none of them had anticipated this little twist. For three days Harry had screamed himself hoarse, thrashed around in bed out of pure agony and cried some more tears of blood mingled with his own normal tears that seemed to come straight from his soul. It was a sickly sight to say the least.

The restorative potions being constantly inserted into his body by any means possible was doing the best to be expected from them. The constant barrage of healing spells on Harry almost seemed to encase him in an aura of sinister looking multi-colored magic and above it all there wasn't a moment of silence.

The whole hospital wing was closed off completely, sealed by Dumbledore himself, and everybody who exited the place except for the few people who knew that Harry was alive had to be memory charmed. Snape didn't host his classes; he only brewed potions and McGonagall was one of the assigned healers, also rendering her incapable of teaching.

Speculation ran about in the castle from Dumbledore dying, which was impossible since he showed up for meals most of the time, to an army of ghosts from the netherworld being summoned in the hospital wing by none other than Voldemort.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny didn't once leave the hospital wing, their constant vigilance of Harry not wavering a bit. But there was simply nothing they could do to help Harry except heal the wounds that formed by his screaming or thrashing and cleaning the mess he made. Not one of them complained once, they didn't show any bother to clean the fresh vomit from Harry, they didn't hesitate to wipe the blood of off his face and they were the ones who regulated the comings and goings of different people near Harry.

Two days later Harry's eyes fluttered open. It was sore and crusted but it opened nonetheless. Eyes so eager to open they didn't care about small things such as pain. Harry looked around and saw Ron standing by the window, gazing at the sunrise. He looked a wreck. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair looked greasy and his stubble on his face could do with a shave but who was Harry to preach about stubble when he had a fully-fledged beard.

Harry sat up slowly, no mean feat in his condition, and found that nature was the reason he had woken up. He needed the toilet and he needed it now. He tried to swing his legs over the side of the bed but his body was weak. He could hardly move a muscle, which made Harry wonder because he could sit up straight without any problem. He doubted that if he tried again that he would get up again, now that he knew he was supposed to be sore.

The last thing he could remember was the most horrible pain he had ever felt. It was so intense, so terribly sore that Harry didn't know about anything else for a long time. In fact he wondered why he wasn't dead. Every bad feeling imaginable came into his heart, forcing the way inward until your heart start to crust and harden, physically. Harry presumed that he prevented death by killing Draco only a moment before the spell struck but those coils were enough if you hadn't experienced pain as Harry had in his life before.

Strange that all the pain and loss Harry had suffered during his life was the thing that saved him. The Dursleys' torture and then Voldemort and all those evil things in the cave, it made him strong, and it gave him power. Suddenly Harry knew were his strength comes from, from others' hate and torture against him. He thought back to the times in the cave, those things hated him and look what he did to them in the end. Some of them he killed and buried afterwards with some conjured sand, those were the Vampires that only fought out of pure blood lust but then you get those that wanted to kill him for power, they wanted his soul so to speak and Harry torn them to nothing more than a small puddle of blood.

People who hate Harry, and fight him for that reason, gave him strength. They fed him. They were the ones he should thank for still being alive now but they were dead or most of them anyway. He didn't want to fight anymore, he was tired of seeing the last breath of a person leave them, he was tired of all the pain and most of all he was scared. He was scared that some day he would turn like them, power hungry and forcing his will upon lesser people.

He shook his head and transformed without a thought into whatever it was he transformed into when his animagus self came out and hopped off the bed with feline ease. It was easier to move about after you had pain, and it helped clear your head much more quickly. Where have you ever seen an animal groggy for longer than a few seconds?

'What the…!' Ron started from the window, 'Where's Harry!' Ron's wand was pointing straight at Harry's mane who immediately turned back into himself.

'Calm down man,' Harry told him with a smile, 'it's only to wake up.'

'Well thank you but do you have any idea how it feels seeing the place were your injured friend had slept for a long time occupied but some sort of lion.' Ron was really looking scared, even his wand was shaking.

'I felt like I should have cut you open or something. Say, shouldn't you be in bed?'

'I'll decide if I need to be in bed and right now I need a toilet. Excuse me.' Harry added while he quickly trotted over to the bathroom. After his basic bodily needs he turned around and saw… a shower. What a lovely sight that was. Oh, the joys of civilization.

Twenty minutes later Harry came out of the bathroom with a new strength. Things were starting to look up for Harry, he felt it inside of him, or maybe it was just his mind telling him that he will take it easy the next few weeks.

'Oh, Harry.' Hermione started to speak from the doorway but couldn't seem to find her words, 'I don't even know what I wanted to say.'

'I'm all right now.' He reassured her, 'Come on, let's go grab some food in Diagon Alley. I need to get my money anyway.'

'Uh Harry,' Ginny said, 'All of your money was shared between us…'

'Only those you know of.' He told her with a wink, his voice trailing down until he only mumbled almost inaudibly 'I only need to find out where it was; he told me it was in a bank account but which one. I guess I'll need to search for it then, nothing like a good quest to start off the day.'

'I'll just tell Dumbledore that we're off. I'll catch you at the gates.' He told them and walked out of the door, his clothes changing shape as he stepped through the threshold leaving him clad in jeans, a shirt and a simple cloak with a hood.

He walked the halls quickly and found the statue that guarded the old man's office. With a furtive glance around Harry looked at the statue and said, 'Professor, can I quickly speak to you?'

The statue took a moment and then sprung away from the revolving staircase, a slight chuckle coming from above. He hopped on and finally entered the office.

'Ah, Harry, how did you know of the charms outside of my office?' Dumbledore greeted him kindly.

'I can feel them now, the working of magic that is.' Harry told him with a smile, 'Some things have to be learnt in one's life.'

'To true a statement that is. Do you know where I learnt most of my magic?' Dumbledore asked.

'Hopefully not like me.' Harry told him.

'No, no,' Dumbledore laughed, 'I had to sit in a study under constant vigil. I believe your way was far more effective, considering the time span. Harry, I can't truly tell you how glad I am now that you are back but that attack, it touched me deeply.' He stood up and strolled over to Fawkes. The bird chirped softly as Dumbledore stroked him with his bony fingers.

'We are so glad that you are still alive and then you almost got yourself killed. Your friends would have lost it if you had died, truly died, in front of them and I can say the same for myself. I don't care about the war anymore, I'm an old and selfish man thinking that but I would be lying if I told you otherwise. Hogwarts is the only place I intend to protect.'

'And nobody can tell you otherwise.' Harry told him after a while, 'How long have you been fighting in you life, how many times have you made sacrifices in those times? I think what your saying makes sense; you have to hide your true appearance under charms, why? If people really have that attitude then let them fall. Let Voldemort take them down. They are weak, putting all of their hope on you; they don't deserve to live if they can't even stand up for themselves. _Oh no, fighting's not for me, let Dumbledore and those brave people do it while I sit back on my chair and have a cup of coffee._ They Don't Deserve To Live!'

Harry had spent months on end thinking about those things. If each and every capable wizard will fight back, Voldemort will crumble, with boy-who-lived or not. The ones that suffer the pain, take the anguish of losing someone close to them, they are the ones that deserve it the least. Snobs the lot of them!

'That is true to a sense,' Dumbledore sighed sadly, 'but what can we do? Can you imagine the world under the reign of Voldemort, do you really want to see the muggles working as slaves for him. If we don't take a stand, nobody will and that Harry, is something only time can teach you, no matter how much you have gone through, no matter what anybody says _we have to do it_. I'm tired Harry, I'm old and my power is not what it used to be, I cant go into battle anymore so what use am I in a war? I can still plot and plan but people don't want that.'

There was a silence after his tirade. What did Dumbledore want to tell Harry with that speech? Did he want him, Harry to take over and make a stand, for those people! Those people who worship you as a hero when you fight valiantly but if you don't they despise you for all eternity, they can die themselves! He, Harry, will not sacrifice time, effort or human life for them.

'I'm not asking you anything.' Dumbledore started, 'I'm teaching you Harry for there will come a time that these words will light up like a beacon. You will understand in time what it is I'm saying. As I said, only time can teach you this lesson, the wisdom comes with age. Let the ministry handle the war, they are after all supposed to do it. We started off as a helping hand, one that worked in secret. Don't let anything influence your heart. Don't fight because it is expected of you and don't rebel against the people that wont do anything. Go your way, get yourself a home, live a life.'

'You know that this castle doors will always be open to you, come when you will, don't be hesitant to visit. I dare say an old man like me would appreciate some bantering about nothing more than the weather.' He stood up and walked over to his bookshelf. He pulled out a few thick volumes, unveiling the Sword of Gryffindor.

'You know that a sword, in wizarding custom, signifies a man's life, his hope and courage. If your sword were broken, you can just as well dispose your manhood. Those traditions have died down by now but still, it stands with me. My sword lies in the grave with someone I would maybe tell you about at a later stage. You, Harry, have two swords so to say. The one right here and the one you have with you. Don't let either of them out of you sight. I give it to you now, as fathers have done to their son's many years ago, to signal that you have surpassed me, your father, even Sirius.'

'Why don't you keep it here?' Harry told him, 'I'll come and get it some time later. Later, when I settled in some place I can call home. I actually came to tell you that we're going to get some lunch at Diagon Alley.'

'Please Harry,' Dumbledore said, 'Don't get into any trouble.'

'I'll try professor, I'll try.' With that said Harry left the office and walked towards the Hogwarts gate.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny were standing at the Hogwarts gates, just inside of the wards, with only one thought racing through all of their minds.

What's up with Harry?

Was it only a few weeks back that things were bleak and black, Ginny fighting, Hermione almost constantly crying about the great unknown and him, Ron, trying but to no avail to live a normal life. Then Harry came back.

It was possibly the strangest time in his life, except maybe when Harry left. Strange that the biggest times in his life was connected to Harry "dying" and to Harry coming back out of the "dead". Harry was a changed person; he was different than the Harry he knew. This Harry should still be in bed, like the old one would have been, busy to recover from the massive blow to his heart, literally. But he wasn't. He was up and about walking around with an air of majesty around him that Ron felt like he should carry around food for the man, like a slave. That was a frightening thought and one he didn't want to think about.

'What's wrong with him?' Hermione asked silently, slowly.

'I don't know.' Was the only reply she got from Ginny and Ron thought that about summed it up.

Harry was different. He was stronger by a long shot, one could feel that as soon as he walked into the room, he was wiser, the things he said and the way he said it but most of all, Harry was a changed man. The little scrawny boy he knew was dead and buried deep under the lair of Voldemort. In his place, a man who Ron could see for the first time was the savior of them all. This Harry was hard, his eyes screamed battle and fight. He was thin and broken, physically, but he was as hard as a rock.

But as Ron looked over his shoulder he saw him, he saw Harry and it sent chills down his spine. Not chills of fear or the chills a dark creature would inspire, no this chills was caused by the sight of Harry.

He walked with a hunch that was clearly visible from this far, his hood was drawn over his head, casting his face into darkness. The way he walked though, it was the walk of a broken victor and it gave Ron the feeling that he should bow down to this man before him for Ron wasn't half the man Harry was.

He held himself like a king, a king who had fought great campaigns throughout his life to accumulate his goals.

Ron could only pray that Harry wouldn't turn on them, for they would all perish against him. But Ron knew Harry wouldn't turn on them. If he would have, it would have happened a long time ago.

'Are you ready to go?' Harry asked and now that he was close one could see just beneath his eyes. He held a manic smile, it was sinister as hell but Ron knew it was the best Harry could summon at this time. But Ron would make sure that Harry could smile like a normal person once again. Ron will bring back the smile that lit up a room; Ron will put it back on Harry's face. He will pull off this sinister smile, this… evil smile and put back the one that belongs.

Harry walked down the street of Diagon Alley, content and full. After their lunch at the Leaky Cauldron they decided to do some browsing, mostly for Harry's sake, as he had no possessions whatsoever. The girls insisted on clothes first but Harry and Ron had other ideas. After all, they reasoned, he didn't have any place to put all of the clothes. So now they simply walked in and out of every other store with no goal in mind but the girls didn't know that, they didn't _really_ know how to do shopping.

The stores were packed to say the least, people mulling about, all of them in a race to find whatever they need and leave. Harry couldn't figure out why, walking around with your friends with no goal in mind was fun for Harry. Then he realized that most of these people have lives, they have family to return to maybe a job to finish, that's why they didn't stay to brows the shops, and it saddened Harry to think about the world as it stands now, a race.

But no, he wouldn't let those thoughts penetrate his mind, he had enjoyed himself immensely eating food and drinking the finest wine the place had. Ginny too, seemed to have a nice time, with the wine that is. She was by far the biggest drinker Harry had ever seen, apart from Mundungus Fletcher, and who could blame her. What did she do when not fighting the losing battle? What could she do other than drown her sorrows for a moment? She didn't have anybody close to go to, sure there was Ron and Hermione but they had been in hiding the past two years. She had her mother but then again, she was an adult now and adults don't go to their mothers for every other thing that pops up.

_Enough! _His mind screamed out, that small part that seemed to be an entity of its own.

'Want to go to the Magical Menagerie?' Ron asked pointing out the place where Hermione had bought Crookshanks all those years back.

'Why not' Harry replied and set off to look around even more. Hermione only rolled her eyes at Ginny and followed them through the hubbub of people.

Three days later Harry stared over the grassy field before him. There was nothing special about the field but that will change soon. Harry's plan was soon going to be set in motion. At eight-o-clock that morning it was all going to begin. He just had to wait two more hours.

Harry's plan?

He planned to build his home, his base of operation, his place were he could give shelter to someone in the time of need. Harry walked to the small river that came from the mountain only a few hundred meters away. Harry had sent Scryed out to find this place right after he had gained consciousness two days after his operation. Only two days it had taken Harry to heal, well, not heal per say but his magic sustained him and that was enough. He knew he needed to have his wits about him if he wanted this to be done so he contacted a few people. One of the most important though was a muggle. A man who new how to draw base plans for big structures, an architect.

It wasn't hard to find one.

His "mole" in Voldemort's lair had told him right about it, she was after all a muggle who had gone bad… Harry had owled her, his owl only barely up for the journey but after two days of searching and finding nothing, Harry had sent Scryed to find the place. Apparently owls couldn't find it but that didn't stop Scryed. Harry had told her about his great escape, his plan in his head and about his friends. O, he told her everything about his friends. When Harry was locked up in his hell, she had found a way to send him messages. She had learnt elemental magic, the only magic she could do, and changed scraps of parchment into small water drops. After she disposed of them in the puddle right above Harry all he had to do was to wait for it to seep through the stone. As soon as the water drop touched air again, it turned back into parchment, successfully sending Harry messages without anybody knowing.

She had shared many things with him, from her dead husband, killed by Voldemort's minions, to Voldemort's finer plans, the inner workings of it. That's how Harry came up with his plan, a flawless plan that Harry knew couldn't possibly last but still, she gave him an idea worth doing, and she gave him most of his real plan. Harry, at that moment, was so far gone in his own mind that he actually suggested breaking free and building an army of small kids no older than five. Harry's crazy and twisted mind reasoned that Voldemort can't stand love and small children loved all around.

She told him that she had laughed at the idea for hours on end. She even burst out laughing when Voldemort mentioned he was going to kill some children for evening entertainment. Never again had she laughed at one of Voldemort's comments. That was all she said about that…

Now that Harry decided to go for a swim in the river he realized that she was a companion dearly needed and appreciated in his time spent in the cavern, even if he sometimes had to wait weeks for the "message drop" to seep through the stone.

In the distance Harry heard Osiris roaring, he knew that his dragon and Hedwig was somewhere off playing some foolish little game, it's what they did. Harry had seen them at it, playing hide and seek. Sometimes Harry wondered if Osiris knew that he was a fully-grown dragon now 'cause he always hid behinds small rocks and plunging his head inside a small rabbit holes. Scryed was already in the currents of the river, standing on a rock. He liked to catch fish when they swam up the currents.

O yes, this was going to be perfect.

Harry jumped into the water, flowing freely with the currents until he pooled his magic and swam back up. Harry even tried to sneak up on Scryed but that was like trying to separate the ingredients of a potion, simply impossible. The thing was too fast; it's senses too great for Harry to match.

'Sorry to interrupt but can you tell me where I can find a person named Harvey Potash?' A man in a business suit asked. He was mid thirties with a few strands of prominent gray hair and a rather skinny build.

Harry quickly hopped out of the shallow waters where he had lain and dozed off a bit, to great his architect, his new employee. Scryed was swimming deep beneath the water, out of prying muggle eyes. How he did that Harry wouldn't know.

'That's me.' Harry said as he pulled on his cloak, 'You are?'

The man looked shocked for a moment but pulled himself together after staring open mouthed at Harry's gaping wound. The wound where the surgeons had cut open his body to get to his heart. It was still raw and completely unhealed but Harry's magic sustained it, it always did and that was enough for Harry. He will let it heal naturally when the time comes and that time wasn't now.

'Yes, right.' He said sticking out his hand, 'I'm Robert Biggonson, the architect. Some lady, your secretary she told me, asked me to come here. She told me you had something _huge_ to build.' He stressed out the word huge, imitating Harry's _secretary_, with a smile on his lips.

Harry was kind of glad this man had a sense of humor 'because what Harry was going to propose to this man will make him double over in laughter.

'I sure do Robert, I sure do.' Harry told him motioning for the man to follow him, 'follow me please and I'll tell you what I want.'

Later that evening.

Robert Biggonson clambered in his double bed next to his wife with a great sigh. He had been out all day, out with a young man talking and walking around a green grass field at the base of a mountain. Some of the things Harvey had said were it was preposterous to say the least. After a good laugh at what Harvey said, he wanted to turn around and get back to his small projects that raked in just enough money for him and his beloved wife.

'What's wrong dear?' She asked next to him, turning around and sitting up so that she was at eye level with him.

'It's nothing really,' he started but with the stare she was giving him he knew he had to spill the beans, 'you know that lady I told you about, the secretary of someone called Harvey Potash?'

She nodded for him to continue.

'Well, I met him today and you just wouldn't believe what he asked of me.' He heaved another great sigh, 'this young man is completely out of his mind I tell you. Anyway, if what he says comes to play, and it just might, he showed me his account number and you wouldn't believe who he really is, we will be millionaires.'

She looked him straight in the eye, 'Your joking right?'

'I'm not kidding, the mystical man behind the Swart agencies is none other that Harvey Potash and he wants me to do a job for him.'

'Come on, go to bed.' She told him lying down again, 'I told you not to drink anymore. It does funny things to your head.'

'I'm not joking!' he exclaimed seriously, 'I swear it. I have to draw blueprints for a…'

Only snores met his unfinished answer. With another great sigh he cuddled up against his wife. He will show her that it's true. Robert just hopes if he woke up tomorrow it wouldn't all have been a dream.

Ginny walked through the streets of Knockturn Alley with her arms folded neatly under her cloak, holding her wand tightly. She wouldn't normally walk here, the place gave her the creeps, but Tonks had informed her of a secret Auror operation, one that could possibly find the hideout of Voldemort.

She didn't really think it would be that easy, no matter whom they catch. Voldemort's no fool and he will make sure his place is secure. But, these people who they were after, Ginny had a personal grudge against one of them. She didn't care about the operation, she didn't care about the Aurors, she didn't even care who did in this battle but she will find that person, she will find him and kill him.

She walked to the "pub" as it was called but she thought "Death Eater Drinking" sounded more plausible. And she was correct, Death Eaters walking around with their Dark Marks exposed for the world to see, fighting in one corner, and simple hard drinking at the bar. She walked to the counter with no small amount of apprehension; after all, she was wanted. The man gave her hooded face one look and bent down under the counter, from where he pulled out a glass of running-rum.

'I need to speak with the man of his word.' She told him, hoping beyond hope that Tonks was right with her assessment. She was the one that got the information, listening in on a conversation, and Ginny knew damn well that Tonks couldn't be graceful to save her life.

'Get out. Nobody is to know.' The man replied but he didn't seem to be finished. After staring at her long and hard he pulled open his counter flap and motioned her in.

Ginny couldn't believe her luck. This stupid man, this idiotic drunk was leading her right to her desired destination. Something at the back of her mind boggled her though, it sensed something was amiss. Her eyes saw things but her brain didn't recognize it for what it was. Perhaps in another situation, one where Ginny could remain impartial, she would have seen a trap for what it was. But she didn't, her lust for killing that one man drove all reasonable thought from her mind, she suppressed the feeling, she didn't want to accept the fact that she should, indeed, just walk away.

They walked through a maze of tunnels and corridors, turning at some and walking straight through solid walls. The man didn't talk once, he didn't look at Ginny once but the worst thing was that he nodded every so often. Ginny thought it was the man rambling in his own mind, thoughts only a drunk can experience.

Harry had been gone for three weeks now, only sending them messages with vague references. He said that he was sorting out his life; he said that he was safe he only needed time. Ginny didn't fall for that one though. He was in a chamber for three years, surrounded only by thick stone. How much time can a person need?

She could have sworn that she saw him, no, sensed him a week ago in Hogsmeade. Then again, it was Harry and he can manage for himself, nothing to worry about. She was mad at Harry. Why couldn't he just be normal and buy a flat, why didn't he spent some time with them, why did he have to pay three hundred galleons into her account when he only used two?

Harry was a bit loony. That was a certain fact. He sent Ron and Hermione a magical carrier for their child with an in built monitor that worked with the protean charm. He sent Ginny a box full of strange muggle alcoholic drinks, a whole box, with a note attached that said, '_If it all becomes too much. Just don't overdo it.'_

He sent each and every person he knew something with anonymous notes but the strangest thing of all was the tickets. Every person that got a present got a ticket, a plain muggle amusement park ticket. Her dad was ecstatic, he even owled them through their secret keeper but was quickly deflated when Dumbledore talked some sense into his head. Not a day later another note from an "anonymous" person came to him, telling him that time doesn't matter, anytime the place was open just for him.

Ginny knew the "anonymous" person was Harry; it was just something he would do, but was still in doubt about his sanity.

At long last they reached a silver door, complete with engraved snakes and sinister green lights. What piqued her though was that all of the snakes where hissing at her and doesn't seem to be quieting down.

The man looked at her then nodded towards the door, motioning for her to enter. Ginny reached out a hand and grasped the snakehead to open the door. Happy that the thing didn't turn out to be animated she opened the door slowly, not sure if this were the best thing to do. After all she didn't know all of the details. And for the first time that day Ginny fell into doubt about this. She didn't know times or anything, she only knew where to go. Damn her bloodlust.

She had to admit though that she was curious as to what might be discussed in the meeting. What she didn't expect though, was a circular chamber, without windows, without occupants save one and two chairs. The person, dressed completely in black seemed to soak up the shadows being cast onto him by the small fire in the center of the room. Ginny stared for a while, waiting, listening and hoping beyond hope that this was indeed the "meeting". She knew it wasn't.

'Ms. Weasley.' the man said barely above a whisper, he seemed incapable of breaking his voice.

Ginny wondered if the man was going to carry on or if he was merely stating the obvious. Then it struck her, she wasn't Ms. Weasley here, she wasn't even a she, she should be a manly Death Eater taking on the role of body guard to look for intruders.

'Take a seat, I will not harm you.' The man said, waiving his hand and closing the door with a snap. Ginny looked around her, only the man was there and he sounded weak, Ginny doubted that he could even stand much less fight.

Ginny immediately drew her wand and pistol, stunning bullets possibly blazing with energy, and pointed it directly at the man's chest. He laughed with a hiss, sending chills down her spine, but didn't move one bit. Ginny fired a shot, not wanting to get herself into a worse situation. It didn't even come close.

The man simply laughed, again motioning for her to sit.

'Do you not believe me when I told you that I wouldn't harm you?' he said. Something about the voice clicked in Ginny's mind, something Harry had told her about back in sixth year.

_His voice Ginny, it's the worst of all. Nothing more than a hiss but you can hear it from a mile away. That voice is the one each and every child has nightmares about, it sends chills down your spine, and it's like walking through a ghost only to bump into a dementor. That's what the voice of Tom Riddle sounds like._

Fear gripped at her heart, fear for the unknown and fear for her very existence. She couldn't comprehend what was happening around her as she was pulled to her seat by some unknown force. Voldemort was sitting right in front of her, wanting to talk to her. The wizard every wizard prays not to see in his lifetime.

'Don't be afraid.' He said with a smile, one worse than that of Harry's new one, 'I wont hurt you my dear, I want to talk. Why would I want to hurt you Ginny?'

Ginny couldn't move; she simply couldn't send the command to her brain. Fear blocked all paths of rational thought; it rendered her incapable of moving or thinking.

_Ginny, why would I want to hurt you? You are my friend, why would I hurt my friends? Come on Ginny, let's have coffee. We can even play chess. We have all the time in the world. Nothing matters. Have fun my friend, don't worry. Nobody will tease you here. Stop crying, I haven't betrayed you, nothing those people tell you are true. It was my plan, yes but you convinced me not to do it. I'll even learn Defense against the Dark arts, I'll Work at Hogwarts. Then I can help you if you need it but such a bright girl wouldn't need it. Don't cry little Ginny, I'm here, you're safe._

Voldemort waved his hand and the fire and it floated until it came to a stop above their heads. With another wave a coffee table appeared in the middle of them, complete with chess set, right as it was before he had possessed her completely.

'It's your move,' he said waiting a bit before he added, 'my friend.'

That certainly got her going, 'I am not your friend. Who have you ever known that kills their friends? You sick…'

'Oh but I do know one.' He interrupted her. Harry was right, his voice demanded immediate attention. 'Peter Pettigrew and they were friends like none other. Harry Potter, he killed his own Godfather, he put you in danger and that too, was friends like none other. Need I go on?'

'You're lying!' Ginny yelled in outrage, how could he say those things of Harry, it wasn't his fault, 'Harry didn't do anything wrong! You sick…'

'Oh, but he did.' Voldemort carried on. He stood up and started to walk around the small room, looking ill at ease with the situation. At least one of them was feeling comfortable.

'My dear, if only he had joined me. We could have done great things together but, that was his decision to make, it was his choice to do the _right_ thing, the _noble_ thing and it killed him in the end. Look at the pain on your face, on that of Dumbledore, can you stand it? Do you want me to carry on with my list? Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Albus Dumbledore, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, each and every person Harry knew. You all betrayed him, if only he knew, if only he would have joined me. He died because of you; he died because you would have died had he not made that sacrifice at Hogwarts.'

'Why are you telling me this?' Ginny asked softly, her eyes burning and not because of the smoke from the fire. They were the ones that put Harry through three years of hell, they were the ones that forced Harry to live with his relatives, causing years of mental and emotional anguish on a boy that didn't even knew about his parents' sacrifice.

'Why crying my friend?' Voldemort mocked her with his consolation, he didn't know Harry was alive, he mustn't know. Three and a half years they condemned him to a cave. She could have prevented it, Dumbledore could have. They should have. Harry should have lived with wizards that could have trained him, could have prevented voldemort from rising again. Why were they so stupid, so clogged up in their little world of peace?

'Why are you scared? Are you realizing the lesson I'm trying to teach you? Are you seeing that choices control everything? Our fate lies in our hands, we can play Creator with it, and we make the choices of our life. Harry made his choice and it protected you. Much like his mother have made for him. I have his blood, I can dispel those protection evoked by Dumbledore again, I can kill you with my bare hands and it would be my pleasure but I will not. I will give you the choice, little Ginny, for you gave me the chance to live. Again we are at the choices. You chose to give me life, Harry chose to take it away, you chose to write in my diary and I chose to use you. Why are you crying? Why are you sad? It is a great truth, you should be happy.'

'Stop, please stop.' Ginny moaned. She was back at the chamber, she was dying all over again, nothing was a certainty, and nothing was real except Voldemort and his words, his twisted lies to make them truth. Naked fear spread across her face as voldemort wiped away her tears with his knuckles, she couldn't move, she couldn't think, she could only listen.

'Listen to me Ginny and listen well.' He whispered in her ear, 'this is your life, do with it what you will but know that I control your protection and those of all you hold dear. You didn't really believe in a charmed life did you?'

Ginny could only nod to indicate that she had heard him. Silent anguish overtook her, a silent calm that came only after a battle on the battlefield with dead littering everywhere. That silent and sick anguish Ginny hated more than anything else flooded over her.

'Did you know that Harry's thoughts still lingers?' he whispered almost inaudibly, running a hand down to lift up her chin as her father had done so many times to console her. 'Did you know that he fought bravely, he was a hero, and he is dead. All heroes die. It is the way of the world. He constantly thought of you, Ron and Hermione. He cared, little Ginny, he died thinking about you three. It's still here now, sadness that he can't be with you, he cared but now he's gone.'

'WHAT DO YOU WANT?' Ginny screamed, jumping up, 'WHAT CAN I DO, HUH? YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS. TELL ME! I WANT TO KNOW…'

She couldn't finish because she found herself plunged to the ceiling with a force she couldn't counter and dropped down on to the small fire that hung in the air. Hot coals were burning into her abdomen; flames licked their way up her body until he decided to stop it. A cry of pain escaped her mouth, it was too much, and he broke her again, after she thought he couldn't do it again. He had and in only a few minutes, he did it just to show that he can. Screaming now, Ginny felt her body trying to shut of, to cut off all connections to the brain in a vain attempt to stop the pain, even if it had to sacrifice her life.

Voldemort raised his hand and she dropped down, right through the fire with coals falling with her. She fell down in the rain of fire and red-hot coal, not able to do anything, not wanting to do anything. She clutched the small amulet Harry had given her back in her fifth year; it wasn't anything spectacular, only three figures on the cold metal; one with a scar, the other with a book in hand and another with red painted hair. It was her last grip on life, he last thought before she was ready to go. Voldemort had already raised his wand.

'See, little Ginny, I can break you time and time again. You have defied me too much, you have killed my servants and now I will kill you. Consider it an honor to die by my hand.' He said with no small amount of satisfaction, his voice reverberating through her mind like great bells chiming.

She closed her eyes, she couldn't look, and she couldn't speak. She wanted to die. If Voldemort could manipulate her emotions in a matter of minutes then she didn't deserve to live, she should have died back in the chamber. She can remember well when Harry was taken away. She had made a promise to carry on, to stay strong. She promised to face Voldemort and show him that she wasn't a little girl anymore. She had a dream of being successful in her life, she had a dream that she will live to see the end of Voldemort. It was all for naught. He stopped it, he deflated her dream, and he killed her soul for the second time.

Warmth spread out of the small amulet she still clutched to her chest, bright light seeping out of her fist. One of the most beautiful melodies filled her heart, the room; it filled all existence in this horrid place. Last time she remembered it, it was calmer, as if the most important thing was to put you at ease. This time though, it was urgent, it was heartening but most of all, it was fierce in intensity.

Ginny shut her eyes even tighter than they were already; the music seemed to berate her for being weak, for being stupid like she was. It was like a father scolding a child after an accident. Tears still found a way to leak out of the vice grip her eyelids had, it seeped out like water from a sponge. With wet eyes Ginny looked up at Voldemort, she will not go down like a small girl; she will look him in the eye when he kills her.

In the back of her mind, Ginny idly wondered why her life didn't flash before her eyes. In fact, she wondered about of lots of things in that instant, none of them helping her whatsoever to get out of this situation. She wondered about Harry and what his big "secret" was, she wondered about Ron and Hermione, she wondered about her little nephew and how he will be one day, she wondered about Dumbledore and the order of the phoenix, she wondered why she was still alive after a minute of hesitation from Voldemort. It's not like he has any trouble with his conscience so why would he hesitate to kill her now? She wondered where the phoenix song came from and she wondered why it was so hot in the room all of a sudden but that question was resolved the moment she set eyes on voldemort.

He wasn't where he was only a moment before, no; he was jumping about sending waves of spells and ice towards something vaguely familiar. It was a bird; that much was obvious for it was flying but what wasn't so usual about the bird was that it had flames all around it. In fact, it seemed as if the bird was burning from the inside out. Ginny looked closer and could just see the golden tail feathers and beautiful red plumage of Dumbledore's phoenix.

'Dammit bird, DIE!' Voldemort hissed as yet another green light rushed forth from his wand.

It wasn't a match though. Voldemort's spells couldn't move fast enough for the enraged phoenix that kept appearing and reappearing in different places all around the room. Small balls of flames were bursting off from the inferno and moving at incredible speeds towards Voldemort. It was beautiful… in a sick and twisted way. Voldemort was jumping and twirling around as if it was nothing other than ballroom dancing. Fawkes, even more spectacular than before, moving as a living ball of fire, singing and sending as good as it got. But the light show was the best.

Fawkes' fire was so intense, so hot and fierce that sometimes the flames seemed white as clouds. Voldemort sending spells faster than Ginny could comprehend, adding his own array of lighting to the room. Everything seemed trivial to Ginny as she watched a human, if one could call him that, versus magical beast. The sheer power rolling from them, it made Ginny feel very small indeed. All her pains forgotten by the sight before her she could do nothing more than stare as they battled it out.

Ginny didn't even know Fawkes could do that, in fact, the only magical things she knew about phoenixes was apparating in fire and healing. She had wondered all her life why they were so "magical" if it wasn't so great after all. Now she understood. She knew why they were awed over when seen; looking as a rather small bird Fawkes wasn't a force to be reckoned with. It seemed surreal, a magical bird sending balls of fire faster than any dragon could ever hope to accomplish at an evil dark villain, protecting the innocent girl.

But still, Voldemort wasn't backing down. Finally after Fawkes gave Ginny a look that clearly said '_stupid woman, get out!'_ at Ginny and sent a small fireball at her backside she finally found herself and sprung into action. Running as fast as her feet could carry her, out of the room and into the corridors, around corners and up endless flights of stairs. That is until she ran strait into a wizard with deep blue robes and a white beard thrown over his shoulder. Ginny fell straight back, as if she had run straight into a solid wall and looked up to Dumbledore's ancient face. He heaved a great sigh, relieved when he saw her but didn't waist any time by petty talk.

'Come, we can't apparate from here. The wards are too strong.' He pulled her by her hand and started to run once again, his wand drawn and his light spell blazing sharper than Ginny had ever seen before.

'Why doesn't Fawkes just take us back?' Ginny panted between hitches of breath as they ran.

'I don't think you would like to touch him now.' Dumbledore said in his usual voice, he didn't seem to have any trouble at his old age with fitness.

They ran and then some more, until finally they reached the door to the pub again. The door burst open as they ran, some unknown force sending it crashing away from them only to reveal about thirty wands pointed right at them as they passed the threshold of the door. Dumbledore stopped as if he had anticipated this much and waved his wand in a full circle above his head. Ginny only stared dumbfounded at the wrong ends of thirty-strong or so wands.

'Apparate now!' Dumbledore screamed, falling to one knee as he held his wand above his head, 'DO IT NOW!' his voice carrying power from his body like some ethereal source.

She didn't hesitate for a second time. As she winked out of existence there she saw Dumbledore falling to the ground with a small cry and the Death Eaters rushing towards him. The last thing Ginny saw was Fawkes flying so fast he looked like a red shooting star and grabbed Dumbledore with his talons, picking him up and streaking out of the door where it disappeared with Dumbledore in a ball of flame. A streak of smoke trailing behind the path Fawkes had flew.

That was at least something of apparating Ginny liked. You can disappear but still be there if you had enough power of mind and concentration. Ginny was curious so it just happened, she heard once from Kingsley that it was damn hard to perform and was requirement for stealth Aurors to do it because it enabled them to appear and disappear completely silent. At least she had learnt something today. Don't mess around with vague half truths and certainly don't mess around with Voldemort. The same goes for Fawkes.

She winked out completely, her blissful hardcore girl act completely shattered in less than twenty minutes. Her strong facade and state of mind nothing more than wet tissue paper. Her self-image completely burned down. She idly wondered how she lasted this long when there was so much more to this war, so much more power than she thought possible. She had always thought herself strong or at least adequate in fighting the dark forces. The Auror corps gave her the chance to be an Auror without even taking tests, she got a Medallion in her room about bravery in battle, could it be that nothing about that matters? She couldn't even keep up with Voldemort from just looking, how could she have possibly have thought she could fight him. She'll be thrashed in a second!

_Stupid Girl, Get out!_

She will remember that look Fawkes had given her, she'll remember for the rest of her life how small and insignificant she had felt at that moment. She couldn't hold a candle against them; she was, in all essence of the word, completely and utterly useless.


End file.
